How Serious is Diabetes ?

Factual Data on Diabetes

Introduction:

Diabetes mellitus is the inability of the body to produce or properly use insulin; a hormone the body needs to convert glucose into energy.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce insulin, and typically affects children and young adults but can occur at any age.

Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes, typically develops in adults and occurs when the body can no longer use insulin effectively. However, recently type 2 diabetes has been diagnosed in children and adolescents. Furthermore, the largest increase in diabetes prevalence in the 1990s (76%) occurred among people aged 30-39.

General Statistics:

In 1997 more than 66 million people in Asia suffered from IDDM and NIDDM. In the year 2000 this figure is expected to rise by 28%, making it 84 million sufferers in Asia alone.

Prevalence in South Central Asia: (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakstan, Kyrgystan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.)

IDDM (in thousands)
1995 - 734.1
1997 - 743.5
2000 - 1217.9
2010 - 1746.3

NIDDM (in thousands)
1995 - 28059.5
1997 - 29397.3
2000 - 35055.5
2010 - 55733.4

American Statistics:

• Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in America.
• 16,000,000 Americans have diabetes-one-third of them are unaware they have it.
• More than 800,000 people will be diagnosed with diabetes this year.
• Each day 2,200 Americans are diagnosed with diabetes.
• Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults, end-stage renal failure, nerve damage and lower-leg amputations.
• Having diabetes makes you four-times more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke.

Risk Factors:

• Age: Risk for type 2 diabetes increases with age and occurs most often in people over 45, although with the rise of obesity and sedentary lifestyle, diabetes is becoming more common in all age groups, including children.
• Obesity: People who are overweight and exercise infrequently are at significant risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
• Family history.
• Race and ethnicity: African Americans are twice as likely as whites to be diagnosed and die from diabetes. Latino/Hispanic Americans have one of the highest prevalence rates in the world. Native Americans and Asian Americans also have a substantially increased risk for diabetes.
• Gestational diabetes: Women with a history of gestational diabetes (pregnancy-induced diabetes) or who have delivered a baby weighing nine pounds or greater have an increased chance of developing type 2 diabetes. While women diagnosed with gestational diabetes traditionally see a return to normal blood sugar levels after delivery, they are all more prone, with minority populations more so, to developing type 2 diabetes in the future.
• Cholesterol: Having a low HDL (the "good" cholesterol) of 35 and below or a fasting triglyceride score of 250 or higher are indicators of increased risk for diabetes.
• Hypertension: People with blood pressure greater than 130/90 are at increased risk for diabetes.

Cautionary signs:

• Alarmingly, people with diabetes often exhibit few or no symptoms.
• Symptoms of diabetes may include: frequent urination, excessive thirst, unexplained weight loss, extreme hunger, sudden vision changes, tingling or numbness in hands or feet, fatigue and sores that are slow to heal.
• At the time of diagnosis, most persons with diabetes have had the disease for seven to 10 years.

Affects of diabetes:

• Diabetes, if left untreated, can cause serious complications such as blindness, strokes, heart attacks, kidney failure and lower-limb loss.
• Heart disease and strokes are responsible for 80 percent of diabetes related deaths.
• Diabetes costs the American health system more than $100 billion dollars annually to manage.

Test:

• A blood test determines the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Levels outside normal ranges can be an indication of diabetes.
• A person should be screened if they have one or more of the warning signs or risk factors listed above.

Treatment :

• Patients with type 1 diabetes require daily injections of insulin. In addition, patients can greatly improve their outcome through enhanced diabetes education, good nutrition habits, regular home glucose monitoring and regular exercise.
• Patients with type 2 diabetes can similarly manage their disease well with good eating habits, by losing weight if overweight, daily exercise, and regular tests to monitor glucose levels. If necessary, orally-administered medication or insulin may be required. The hemoglobin A1C glucose test is an effective tool all patients with diabetes should use to determine how successfully they are managing their disease.