Fact & Figures
Impact of Diabetes
- Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin (insulin resistance). Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity (particularly central adiposity - apple shape) and lack of physical activity appear to play roles.
- Heart attack and stroke are the number one killers of people with diabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness and kidney failure. People with diabetes are at increased risk for amputations, depression, nerve damage and periodontal disease.
- The good news is that landmark studies in 1993 (Diabetes Control and Complications - DCCT - Trial in the US for type 1)
and 1998 (United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study -UKPDS for newly diagnosed type 2) showed that if we can decrease the
average blood sugar level (A1c - a simple blood test) even by 1%, that we can reduce the risk of the devastating
complications including blindness, kidney disease, and amputations.
- Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough
for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes (between 111 and 125mg/dl). There are 54 million Americans who have pre-diabetes.
A landmark study in the US demonstrated that minimal weight loss (5-10%) through physical activity, good nutrition and
self-management education, can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58% for those with pre-diabetes
(Diabetes Prevention Program, 2002).
- 2005 national statistics show that in the U.S. nearly 21 million people have diabetes, which translates into 7% of the
population. In North Carolina, we estimate that 547,000 people have diabetes and another 300,000 have pre-diabetes. It is
more prevalent in African Americans at 13.3 % and in adults ages 65 and up where we see prevalence rates as high as 20%.
- North Carolina has the 10th highest rate of prevalence of diabetes in the nation. The national average
is 7.3%, and the prevalence in North Carolina is 8.5%.
- In NC, the burden of diabetes disproportionately impacts ethnic minorities where they live in the Northeastern and
Southeastern portions of the state. We have also seen alarming new trends among children who are developing type 2 diabetes
as related to the increase in obesity among this population. The CDC estimates that for children born in 2000, 1 in 3 will
develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime.
- Nationally, diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death and the 7th leading cause in NC; however, diabetes is likely
to be underreported as a cause of death. Studies have found that only about 35 to 40 percent of decedents with diabetes
have diabetes listed anywhere on the death certificate and only about 10 to15 percent had it listed as the underlying
cause of death.
- In 2002, which was the last year that the American Diabetes Association released cost data, the total direct and indirect costs were $132 billion, which translates into 92 billion dollars in direct medical costs and 40 billion in indirect costs such as disability, work loss and premature mortality.
- North Carolina supports a strong Diabetes Advisory Council and strategic plan to address these issues through community, health systems and policy initiatives.
Sources: National statistics are from NIH, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases fact sheet http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/statistics/index.htm#7.
North Carolina statistics are from the N.C. State Center for Health Statistics, Health status publication http://www.schs.state.nc.us/SCHS/pdf/BRFSSReport2005.pdf
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National Data
State Data
County Data
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