Here we will go over few interesting facts about diabetes that may surprise you. Did you know that more than 25.8 million children and adults are living with diabetes or prediabetes? That’s more people than the population of New York City. There is an estimate 285 million people living worldwide with diabetes and approximately 7 million more cases are developing each year. They expect this number to 438 million by the year 2030.
What does this mean for people with diabetes?
- This means that approximately 80% of the people diagnosed with diabetes will die of heart disease or a stroke.
- 71,382 people in America died from diabetes complications in 2007.
- People who have Type 1 diabetes can have their life expectancy shortened by as much as fifteen years. People with Type 2 can have their lives shortened by 5 to 10 years.
- In 2007 alone, $174 billion was spent on diagnosed diabetes cases, $116 billion was spent on direct medical costs and $58 billion on indirect costs.
- If you have diabetes, you are twice as likely to die prematurely than someone who doesn’t have it.
- Amputation of limbs is a reality for people who suffer with diabetes. More than 60% of amputations are performed on people diagnosed with the disease. In 2006, 65,700 amputations were performed.
- We all know that there are Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes, but there are actually 4 different types of diabetes. Prediabetes is a condition where the blood glucose levels are high but not high enough to be classified as Type 2. The fourth type is gestational diabetes. This can develop when women are pregnant, a time that should be a joyous occasion.
- If you are 40 and over, you are at a higher risk for developing diabetes, and you should be tested every three years to ensure you remain in good health.
- It is important to note that there are many symptoms that can indicate that you have diabetes, sometimes it can have absolutely no symptoms at all so it is important to be tested if you are in a high risk group.
What Causes Diabetes?
The causes for are varied and many which is why it’s important to remain vigilant while watching for symptoms. There are high-risk race groups, obesity, genetics, high blood pressure, high cholesterol,different health complications, giving birth to a baby that weighed over 4 kg, gestational diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, acanthosis nigricans. The list goes on.
There is research being done on diabetes every day and we need to get ourselves informed, educated and donate so we can help eradicate one of the worst afflictions to affect America.