Diabetes Statistics

Diabetes is a growing and serious chronic medical condition that, if left unchecked, can lead to serious complications. Thankfully, with appropriate attention and medical management, the risk of developing such complications can be dramatically reduced. We strongly encourage everyone with diabetes to seek the guidance of a diabetes education and medical team to avoid becoming a worrisome statistic.

Prevalence

  • In 2018, 34.2 million children and adults – or 10.5% of the US population – have diabetes.
  • Another 88 million Americans have prediabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
  • Recent estimates project that as many as one in three American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless we take steps to Stop Diabetes.

The Toll on Health

  • People with diabetes are nearly twice as likely to be hospitalized for a heart attack or stroke.
  • Diabetes causes 50% of all cases of kidney failure.
  • More than half a million American adults have advanced diabetic retinopathy, greatly increasing their risk for severe vision loss.
  • More than half of all amputations in adults occur in people with diabetes.
  • About 60-70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nerve damage that could result in pain in the feet or hands, slowed digestion, sexual dysfunction and other nerve problems.

Cost of Diabetes

  • The American Diabetes Association estimates that the total national cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States is $327 billion.
    • Direct medical costs reach $237 billion and the average medical expenditure among people with diabetes is 2.3 times higher than those without the disease.
    • Indirect costs amount to $90 billion (disability, work loss, premature mortality).
  • One in 7 health care dollars is spent treating diabetes and its complications.
  • One in 4 health care dollars is spent caring for people with diabetes.

Source – American Diabetes Association