General diabetes statistics:

Consider the following statistics from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the American Diabetes Association: 

• Diabetes affects an estimated 17 million people in the United States (90 to 95 percent have type 2 diabetes) - 11.1 million have been diagnosed, but 5.9 million are unaware they have the disease. Those affected include:
  
  
  • 9.1 million women (8.2 percent of all women).
    
    
  • 7.8 million men (8.2 percent of all men).
    
    
  • 151,000 children under age 20.
    
    
  • 7 million adults over age 65 (18.4 percent of the US population).
    
    
  • 2.8 million African-Americans (10.8 percent of all African-Americans)
    
    
  • 2 million Mexican Americans (10.6 percent of all Mexican Americans).
    
    
  • 11.4 million Caucasian Americans (7.8 percent of all Caucasian Americans)
    
    
• Diabetes was the sixth leading cause of death in 1999, and the fifth leading cause of death from disease.

• Diabetes contributed to more than 200,000 deaths in 1999, but is believed to be under-reported on death certificates - both as a condition and a cause of death.

• Diabetes costs $44 billion annually in direct medical costs.

• Diabetes costs $54 billion annually in indirect costs (loss of work, disability, loss of life).

Diabetes prevalence by race:

Certain ethnic groups tend to be more susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes. Several risk factors contribute to this pattern, including the following:

• genetic background
  Certain racial groups tend to share a common genetic factor that may affect their insulin secretion and insulin resistance. For example, African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders may share a "thrifty gene" left over from their ancestors, which enabled them to survive during "feast and famine" cycles. However, with those cycles phasing out, that same gene may make a person more susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes.
  
  
• impaired glucose tolerance (IGT)
  Impaired glucose tolerance, when blood glucose levels rise higher than normal after meals, may be more prevalent in certain groups. IGT may be an early stage of diabetes.
  
  
• gestational diabetes
  Women who develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy may have a 50 percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes within 20 years of the pregnancy. The prevalence of gestational diabetes is higher among certain groups.
  
  
• hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance
  Hyperinsulinemia, or higher than normal levels of fasting insulin, may lead to diabetes. Certain ethnic groups tend to have higher insulin levels.
  
  
• obesity
  Obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Obesity is more prevalent in certain races.
  
  
• physical inactivity
  Lack of physical activity can lead to diabetes. Certain groups have higher levels of physical inactivity than others.

Diabetes risk among African-Americans:

African-Americans are 2 times more likely to develop diabetes than Caucasian Americans. As much as one quarter of African-Americans between the ages of 65 and 74 years have diabetes. Obesity tends to be one of the major risk factors for developing diabetes in African-Americans, especially African-American women. Other facts about African-Americans and diabetes include the following:

• 13 percent of all non-Hispanic blacks (2.8 million) have diabetes.
  
  
• African-Americans also are more likely to suffer from higher incidences of diabetes complications and disability.
  
  
• African-Americans are more likely to undergo lower-extremity amputations than Caucasian or Hispanic Americans.
  
  
• African-Americans with diabetes are 2.6 to 5.6 times more likely to suffer kidney disease from diabetes than diabetic Caucasian Americans.
  
  
• African-Americans have a 40 to 50 percent higher risk for developing diabetic retinopathy, partly because this population also has a higher rate of hypertension.
  
  
• Gestational diabetes may be 50 to 80 percent more likely among African-American women than among Caucasian women.

Diabetes risk among Hispanic Americans/Mexican Americans:

Approximately 10.2 percent of all Mexican Americans (2 million) have diabetes. Mexican Americans are 1.9 times more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites. Other Hispanic/Latino Americans are twice as likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites. Other facts about Hispanic Americans and diabetes include the following:

• One-quarter of Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans age 45 or older have diabetes. Nearly 16 percent of Cuban Americans has diabetes.
  
  
• Obesity and physical inactivity are the main risk factors for diabetes among Hispanic Americans.
  
  
• Although Hispanic Americans have higher rates of diabetic retinopathy and kidney disease, they have lower rates of heart disease from diabetes than non-Hispanic whites.
  
  
• Genes from American Indian or African ancestry may also explain the higher rate of diabetes among Hispanic Americans.
  
  
• Mexican Americans are 4.5 to 6.6 times more likely to suffer from end-stage renal disease.

Diabetes risk among American Indians and Alaska Natives:

Approximately 15.1 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives have diabetes. These groups are 2.6 times more likely to develop diabetes than non-Hispanic whites. Other facts about American Indians and Alaska Natives and diabetes include the following:

• Approximately half of American Indian adults have diabetes, although rates vary considerably among different tribes.
  
  
• Type 2 diabetes prevalence is increasing among American Indian and Alaska Native children and adolescents.
  
  
• Full-blooded American Indians were more susceptible to type 2 diabetes than those with mixed heritage.
  
  
• Obesity is a major risk factor in the development of diabetes among American Indians and Alaska Natives. For example, the majority (95 percent) of Pima Indians with diabetes are overweight.
  
  
• Prevalence of gestational diabetes varies greatly among the different tribes. American Indian women who developed gestational diabetes were at high risk of developing subsequent diabetes.
  
  
• Exposure to diabetes in utero was the largest risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes in Pima children.

Diabetes risk among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders:

Data concerning diabetes prevalence among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders is limited. Some groups among Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans appear to be at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes compared with their non-Hispanic white counterparts. For example, one study showed that Native Hawaiians were 2.5 times as likely to develop diabetes than non-Hispanic white Hawaiians. Other facts about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and diabetes include the following:

• Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.
  
  
• Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders tend to have higher rates of impaired glucose tolerance than non-Hispanic whites.