(source: www.diabetes.org)

Prevalence of total diabetes in the United States, all ages -- United States, 2002

Total: 18.2 million people - 6.3% of the population - have diabetes.
Diagnosed: 13 million people
Undiagnosed: 5.2 million people

Prevalence of total diabetes among people under 20 years of age -- United States, 2002

· About 210,000 people under 20 years of age have diabetes. This represents 0.26% of all people in this age group.
· Approximately one in every 400 to 500 children and adolescents has type 1 diabetes.
· Clinic-based reports and regional studies indicate that type 2 diabetes is becoming more common among Native American/American Indian, African American, and Hispanic and Latino children and adolescents.


Prevalence of total diabetes among people aged 20 years or older -- United States, 2002

· Age 20 years or older: 18 million. 8.7% of all people in this age group have diabetes.
· Age 60 years or older: 8.6 million. 18.3% of all people in this age group have diabetes.
· Men: 8.7 million. 8.7% of all men aged 20 years or older have diabetes.
· Women: 9.3 million. 8.7% of all women aged 20 years or older have diabetes.

Diabetes is also much more common among people from different races and ethnicities. There are over 2.7 million African-Americans in the United States with diabetes. This accounts for over 11% of the total African-American population.

A large portion of the Hispanic and Latino population also suffers from diabetes. They are about twice as likely to develop diabetes as their non-Hispanic white counterparts.

The American Indian population has the highest rate of diabetes at about 14.5% of the population.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are also about twice as likely to develop diabetes as the Caucasian population in Hawaii.

New cases diagnosed per year: 1.3 million people aged 20 years or older.

Source: 1999–2001 National Health Interview Survey estimates projected to year 2002
Deaths among people with diabetes -- United States, 2000
Diabetes was the sixth leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates in 2000. This is based on the 69,301 death certificates in which diabetes was listed as the underlying cause of death.  Altogether, diabetes contributed to 213,062 deaths.

Diabetes is likely to be under reported as a cause of death because many decedents with diabetes do not have the disease entered on their death certificate. Studies have found that only about 35% to 40% have it listed anywhere on the certificate and only about 10% to 15% have it listed as the underlying cause of death.

Overall, the risk for death among people with diabetes is about 2 times that of people without diabetes.


Complications of Diabetes in the United States

Heart Disease and Stroke

· Heart disease is the leading cause of diabetes-related deaths. Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes.
· The risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher among people with diabetes.
· About 65% of deaths among people with diabetes are due to heart disease and stroke.
High Blood Pressure
· About 73% of adults with diabetes have blood pressure greater than or equal to 130/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or use prescription medications for hypertension.
Blindness
· Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults 20-74 years old.
· Diabetic retinopathy causes from 12,000 to 24,000 new cases of blindness each year.
Kidney Disease
· Diabetes is the leading cause of treated end-stage renal disease, accounting for 43% of new cases.
· In 2000, 41,046 people with diabetes began treatment for end-stage renal disease.
· In 2000, a total of 129,183 people with diabetes underwent dialysis or kidney transplantation.

Nervous System Disease

· About 60% to 70% of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nervous system damage.

The results of such damage include impaired sensation or pain in the feet or hands, slowed digestion of food in the stomach, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other nerve problems.

· Severe forms of diabetic nerve disease are a major contributing cause of lower-extremity amputations.
Amputations
· More than 60% of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in the United States occur among people with diabetes.
· From 2000 to 2001, about 82,000 non-traumatic lower-limb amputations were performed each year among people with diabetes.
Dental Disease
· Periodontal or gum diseases are more common among people with diabetes than among people without diabetes. Among young adults, those with diabetes are often at twice the risk of those without diabetes.
· Almost one-third of people with diabetes have severe periodontal diseases with loss of attachment of the gums to the teeth measuring 5 millimeters or more.
Complications of Pregnancy
· Poorly controlled diabetes before conception and during the first trimester of pregnancy can cause major birth defects in 5% to 10% of pregnancies and spontaneous abortions in 15% to 20% of pregnancies.
· Poorly controlled diabetes during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy can result in excessively large babies, posing a risk to the mother and the child.
Other Complications
· Uncontrolled diabetes often leads to biochemical imbalances that can cause acute life-threatening events, such as diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperosmolar (nonketotic) coma.
· People with diabetes are more susceptible to many other illnesses and, once they acquire these illnesses, often have worse prognoses than people without diabetes. For example, they are more likely to die with pneumonia or influenza than people who do not have diabetes.

Cost of diabetes in the United States, 2002
Total (direct and indirect): $132 billion
Direct medical costs: $92 billion
Indirect costs: $40 billion (disability, work loss, premature mortality)