What is Diabetes?
Diabetes or diabetes mellitus is an endocrine and metabolic disorder. It characterized by high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period.
Diabetes is one of the most prevalent conditions in the world. People suffering with diabetes often end up with many other medical complications as well (1✔).
There are two main types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 Diabetes occurs when the pancreas produces little to no insulin. Type 2 Diabetes occurs when the cells in the muscles, liver, and fat tissues fail to utilize insulin effectively. It results in the rise of the blood glucose levels.
Facts on Diabetes
Statistics on Diabetes
- According to the National Diabetic Statistics Report, an estimated 28.7 million people in the US have been diagnosed with diabetes (2✔).
- In this estimate, about 28.7 million people, 28.5 million of them are adolescents under 18 and 20 years (2✔).
- Diabetes is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States (3✔).
- In 2030, the global burden of type-2 diabetes is set to increase to 7079 individuals per 100,000 (4✔).
- India is the second after China in the global diabetes epidemic. The country has around 77 million people suffering from the type-2 diabetes (5✔).
- According to the International Diabetic Federation, 1 in 11 adults in the world have diabetes (6✔).
- According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 80 % of diabetic deaths occur in low and middle-income countries (7✔).
- In 2017, the direct and indirect cost of undiagnosed diabetes in the United States was around $327 billion (8✔).
Causes of Diabetes
- Sedentary lifestyle is the main factor contributing to the rise in the incidence of diabetes. Exercise and diet can either reduce or delay the incidence of diabetes by over 50%.
Risk of Diabetes
- Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure globally. Diabetes is also an important factor in heart disease, stroke, and cataract (9✔).
