Diabetes - You Are Not Alone

Would you be shocked to learn that approximately 20.8 million people in the United States have diabetes? It is a fact, and that is an estimated 7% of the population! Here are some other astounding facts:

Of the 20.8 million people who have diabetes, only 14.6 million have seen their doctor for a diagnosis, while 6.2 million people have not been diagnosed. One in every 400-600 children has Type 1 diabetes, and approximately 176,500 people who have diabetes are under the age of 20. And of the 20.6 million people over the age of 20 with diabetes, 10.3 million (roughly half) are over the age of 60.

Of all of the people who have diabetes, approximately 10.9 million of them are men, and 9.7 million are women. In addition, 13.1 million are Caucasian, 3.2 million are African American, 2.5 million are Hispanic or Latino, and about 100,000 of them are Native Americans.

Each year, approximately 1.5 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed. Diabetes is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States, and it is believed that death caused by diabetes is underreported. Having diabetes doubles your risk of death, as compared to people who do not have diabetes, and who are the same age as you.

There are many complications associated with diabetes. Circulation problems is one of them, and of all of the amputations performed in the United States, 60 percent of them are lower-limb amputations of diabetics.

Diabetes costs approximately $132 billion annually, with $92 billion of that being direct costs paid for medical care. The rest of the cost is calculated by disability insurance, loss of work, and premature death.

As you can see, diabetes has become a real problem in America. If you are overweight, take measures right now to reduce your weight, for the purpose of preventing diabetes. If you are overweight, or you have a family history of diabetes, you should contact your doctor for glucose testing as soon as possible.

By Milos Pesic