Diabetes Facts and Stats
Updated: Nov 24, 2020
Diabetes is becoming more and more prevalent both nationally and globally. An estimated 30.3 million people in America have diabetes, which is 9.4% of the population. It’s no surprise that the older population has a greater incidence of the disease, but the number is still astonishing - over 25% of adults 65 years or older have diabetes!
What’s even more surprising is how many people have prediabetes. About 33.9% of adults have prediabetes, and as many as 48.3% of adults 65 or older have this condition. The majority of people with prediabetes don’t even know it!
With such high numbers, it’s pretty safe to say that everyone is affected by diabetes somehow; they either have it, or have a loved one that does. So, what can we do with all this information? For starters, get a primary care physician and follow up with them regularly. Let your provider know if you have a family history of diabetes. If they order blood work, make sure to follow through with it and then be sure you get the results. Losing weight and exercising regularly can help prevent type 2 diabetes, the kind that 95% of Americans with diabetes have. Confused about which type is which? Read more here.
Luckily, technology and the pharmaceutical world has made great strides to help people with diabetes stay as healthy as possible. Even with this though, people with diabetes are still developing complications and going to the emergency room for both high and low blood sugars. If you have diabetes, make sure you're monitoring your blood sugar levels. If you have a glucometer, test your blood sugars at home. Make sure your provider always lets you know what your most recent A1C value is.
For further information, and where I got my statistics, head to: