Diabetes is a disease that many have. It is one that many people are getting, and that many do not have diagnosed until it is really bad. The following are some statistics and facts about diabetes and projected growth rates:
– There are 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7% of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately, 6.2 million peopleare unaware that they have diabetes.
– The prevalence of diabetes has increased so quickly, in such a short amount of time that many refer to it as an “epidemic.
– Although the exact cause of diabetes is unclear, one thing is certain: Excess body fat is the leading controllable risk factor for the most common form of this disease, type 2 diabetes. And it’s not just Americans who are getting fatter. Diets high in saturated fat and refined carbohydrates coupled with the modern sedentary lifestyle have been instrumental in the alarming rise in obesity and diabetes around the world. Thus, more cases of diabetes will be popping up not just in the U.S. but around the world.
– There are 1.3 million new cases of diabetes per year in the United States – about twice the 1992 number. The disease is expected to grow another 165% in this country by the year 2050.
– In 1985, about 30 million people in the world had diabetes. By 2025, 10 times as many – an estimated 300 million people worldwide – are expected to have this disease.
– Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Worldwide, the disease contributes to nearly 1 out of 10 deaths.
– Race and ethnicity also play a role in diabetes: The disease is far more common among African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans than among whites.
– In one tribe of Native Americans living in Arizona about 50% of their adults ages 30-64 have type 2 diabetes. This puts them as the highest rated in the world.
– Based on the most likely scenario, we project that in 50 years from 2000 the number of people with diagnosed diabetes in the U.S. will increase by 165%, from 11 million in 2000 to 29 million in 2050.
Some of these projections have limitations to them, for example, the number of estimated cases of diabetes in 2050 suffers from several limitations including:
– The omission of Hispanic-specific projections. This is important because the extent that Hispanic prevalence rates are overtaking those of whites or blacks, our projections may understate the future burden of diabetes.
– Projections do not assume advances in diabetes prevention or the possibility of a cure for diabetes in the next 50 years, which may reduce the numbers with diabetes.
– Also does not include unforeseen increases in life expectancy or higher propensity for diabetes screening which may increase the numbers with diagnosed diabetes.
– Also, changes in diagnostic criteria could affect prevalence.
– Factors such as increased or decreased access to medical care were not considered.
Limitations aside, such projections indicate that previous predictions concerning future diabetes burden in the U.S. are too low, and that unless something major happens, diabetes will be a huge concern for many. With worldwide changes in lifestyle and demography, this situation concerning future diabetes burden is likely to be true for several countries.
Diabetes is already recognized as a public health problem of pandemic proportions. If these predictions and projected growth rates hold true, so by 2050, there will be an additional 18 million people with diagnosed diabetes in the U.S. alone. That is a major problem.So, take some time to learn about diabetes, how to better prevent it, and how to manage and control it should it become a problem for you or someone you love.