Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus, commonly called diabetes, is a group of diseases
with the main symptom of high blood glucose. Blood glucose is most
frequently referred to as blood sugar. The body does not produce
enough insulin to use blood glucose appropriately, or something prevents the insulin from being
used to process the blood glucose.
There are several types or stages of diabetes: pre-diabetes, Type I diabetes, Type II diabetes, and
gestational diabetes. Before a person develops Type II diabetes, they almost always have prediabetes.
Pre-diabetes is the condition where the blood glucose is elevated, but not elevated enough
to have the diagnosis of diabetes. Long term damage to the heart and circulatory system has been
discovered in patients with pre-diabetes.
Type I diabetes used to be referred to as juvenile diabetes. It is usually diagnosed during childhood
or as young adults. Type I diabetics depend on insulin to manage their blood glucose.
Type II diabetics do not produce enough insulin, or the cells ignore the insulin. It can be controlled
with diet, oral medication, or insulin.
Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy, usually around 24 weeks. It does not mean a mother
will be diabetic after pregnancy, or that she was diabetic before pregnancy. Depending on the blood
sugar level, it can be treated with diet or insulin.
Data from the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet (released Jan. 26, 2011)
Total prevalence of diabetes
Total: 25.8 million children and adults in the U.S.—8.3% of the population—have diabetes.
Diagnosed: 18.8 million people
Undiagnosed: 7.0 million people
Pre-diabetes: 79 million people*
New Cases: 1.9 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older in
2010.
* In contrast to the 2007 National Diabetes Fact Sheet, which used fasting glucose data to estimate
undiagnosed diabetes and pre-diabetes, the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet uses both fasting
glucose and A1C levels to derive estimates for undiagnosed diabetes and pre-diabetes. These tests
were chosen because they are most frequently used in clinical practice.
The statistics and information were compiled from the American Diabetes Association web site,
www.diabetes.org. Next month, more information about treatment, symptoms, complications, and
healthy living with diabetes will be discussed.
