More than 30 million people in the United States have diabetes, and 1 in 4 of them don’t know they have it.
More than 84 million US adults—over a third—have prediabetes, and 90% of them don’t know they have it.
Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States (and may be underreported).
Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes; type 1 diabetes accounts for about 5%.
In the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled as the American population has aged and become more overweight or obese.
Risk
You’re at risk for developing prediabetes or type 2 diabetes if you:
Are overweight
Are age 45 or older
Have a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes
Are physically active less than 3 times a week
Have ever had gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant) or given birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Pacific Islanders, and some Asian Americans are at higher risk for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
American Indians/Alaska Natives are twice as likely as whites to have diabetes.
During their lifetime, half of all Hispanic men and women and non-Hispanic black women are predicted to develop diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an immune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistake). Known risk factors for type 1 diabetes include:
Family history (having a parent, brother, sister with type 1 diabetes)
Age (it’s more likely to develop in children, teens, and young adults)
In the United States, whites are more likely to develop type 1 diabetes than African Americans and Hispanic/Latino Americans.
You’re at risk for developing gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant) if you:
Had gestational diabetes during a previous pregnancy
Have given birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds
Are African American, Hispanic/Latino American, American Indian/Alaska Native, or Pacific Islander
Gestational diabetes usually goes away after your baby is born but increases your risk for type 2 diabetes later in life.
Babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes are more likely to have obesity as children or teens, and are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life too.
Complications
People with diabetes are twice as likely to have heart disease or a stroke as people without diabetes—and at an earlier age.