Health Impact of Diabetes in the United States

• An estimated 15.7 million people in the United States (5.9% of the population) have diabetes mellitus; nearly one third of these people are unaware that they have the disease.
• The number of new diagnoses of diabetes per year is about 800,000.
• The incidence of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents is increasing.
• Diabetes was the 7th leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates in 1996.
• Diabetes is believed to be under reported as a cause of death.
• The rate of heart disease is about 2 to 4 times higher in adults who have diabetes and is the leading cause of diabetes-related deaths.
• Individuals with diabetes have a 2 to 4 times higher risk of stroke.
• Infant mortality rates are approximately twice as high for babies born to women with uncontrolled diabetes compared with babies born to women without diabetes.
• The retinopathy associated with diabetes is responsible for 12,000 to 24,000 new cases of blindness per year.
• Diabetes is the leading cause of renal failure, accounting for more than one-third of all new cases diagnosed each year.
• About 70% of the people who have diabetes have some degree of neuropathy such as impaired sensation in the feet or hands, slowed digestion, or carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Severe forms of diabetic neuropathy are a major cause of lower limb amputations. From 1993 to 1995, about 67,000 amputations were performed annually in patients with diabetes.
• A greater frequency and severity of periodontal disease occurs among people who have diabetes.