Facts About Diabetes

  • Thirty-four million Americans were diagnosed with diabetes in 2018 (American Diabetes Association, 2018).
  • 7.3 million people with diabetes are undiagnosed (CDC, 2020).
  • One in five children is affected by diabetes in the United States. The CDC (2020) reports that 187, 000 children and adolescents have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
  • Type 1 diabetes  or juvenile diabetes is the commonest type  in children (CDC, 2017). It is caused by an autoimmune reaction or a virus; diet and lack of exercise does not cause type 1 diabetes (CDC, 2020). 
  • Caucasians are prone to type 1 diabetes.
  • Type 1 diabetes occurs when the  pancreas does not  produce insulin or makes very little insulin. This leads to too much sugar  in the cells, eventually, excess blood sugar can cause symptoms and complications.  
  • On the other hand, Type 2 diabetes is a growing concern in adolescents because of obesity.
  • The risk factors of type 2 diabetes include having a genetic predisposition, being born from a mom with gestational diabetes, being African American, Hispanic, Native American/Alaska Native, and  Pacific Islander. As well as having a condition that may cause insulin resistance.
  • When diabetes is not managed effectively, it can lead to nerve damage,  heart disease, blindness, kidney disease, oral disease, blindness, and other complications. 
  • Diabetes was the 7th main cause of death in 2019 (STL Post Dispatch).
  • A person with diabetes will spend about ~$16,750 per year on managing diabetes, because their medical costs are  2-3 times higher than people without diabetes (Petersen, 2018). 
  • Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes can be managed  so that complications of diabetes are delayed. 
  • The positive part about diabetes is that it can be managed through regular blood glucose checks, exercise,  eating healthy,  and controlling cholesterol (CDC, 2019).
  • In 1978, the first portable insulin pumps were introduced.
  • In 2016, people with Type 1 diabetes spent about $5,705 on insulin in one year, compared to 2012 when the average was about $2,841 (STL Post Dispatch).
  • In 1922, the first person with diabetes was successfully treated with insulin (STL Post Dispatch).
  • In 2000, long-acting insulin was introduced to the public. (STL Post Dispatch)