November is American Diabetes Month
Nov 17, 2014
November is American Diabetes Month®
Did you know?
- Nearly 30 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes.
- Another 86 million Americans have prediabetes - a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but are not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. People with prediabetes are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes and for heart disease and stroke. Type 2 diabetes is a condition characterized by high blood glucose levels caused by either a lack of insulin or the body's inability to use insulin efficiently. Type 2 diabetes develops most often in middle-aged and older adults but can appear in young people.
- The American Diabetes Association estimates that the total national cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States is $245 billion.
The Toll on Health
- People with diabetes are nearly twice as likely to be hospitalized for a heart attack or stroke.
- Diabetes causes nearly 50% of all cases of kidney failure.
- More than half of all amputations in adults occur in people with diabetes.
- More than half a million American adults have advanced diabetic retinopathy, greatly increasing their risk for severe vision loss.
- About 60-70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nerve damage that could result in pain in the feet or hands, slowed digestion, sexual dysfunction and other nerve problems.
Your lifestyle is an important part of preventing diabetes or living with diabetes and preventing complications from the disease. During American Diabetes Month 2014, the American Diabetes Association encourages Americans to get started living a healthy active lifestyle through the America Gets Cooking to Stop Diabetes campaign.
