Diabetes: The Facts

As part of our campaign to Walk Away from Diabetes and to celebrate World Diabetes Day (November 14th) and American Diabetes Month, we have compiled these startling facts about diabetes below. Help raise awareness for diabetes prevention by sharing these facts: 

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  GRAPHIC I:

  DIABETES

  The Facts

  #WAFD13, MPH@GW

  GRAPHIC II:

  Total prevalence of diabetes

  25.8 million children and adults in the US have diabetes — 8.3 percent of the population.

  Diagnosed	Undiagnosed	Prediabetes
  18.8 million	7.0 million	79 million

  New Cases

  1.9 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older in 2010.

  GRAPHIC III:

  Cost of Diabetes

  $245 billion: Total cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States in 2012

  GRAPHIC IV:

  BLINDNESS

  Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults aged 20-74.

  The risk for STROKE is 2 to 4 times higher among people with diabetes.

  GRAPHIC V:

  KIDNEY DISEASE

  Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure accounting for 44% of new cases in 2008.

  GRAPHIC VI:

  NEUROPATHY

  About 60% to 70% of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nervous system damage.

  GRAPHIC VII:

  HEART DISEASE

  Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes.

  GRAPHIC VIII:

  AMPUTATION

  More than 60% of nontraumatic lower-limb amputations occur in people with diabetes.