What Is Diabetes What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a group of diseases marked by high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both. Diabetes can lead to serious complications and premature death, but people with diabetes can take steps to control the disease and lower the risk of complications.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that has no cure. There are an estimated 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7% of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately, 6.2 million people are not aware that they have the disease. 54 million people have pre-diabetes.
If present trends continue, one in three Americans, and 1 in 2 minorities, born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime. Each day, approximately 4,110 people are diagnosed with diabetes. In 2005 1.5 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people age 20 years or older. |