Health Conditions

Who has it?

Diabetes is becoming more common. About 20.8 million Americans (7 percent of the U.S. population) have diabetes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Approximately 6.2 million of these people do not know they have the disease. In addition:

• 90-95% (19.3 million) of Americans diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes
• It's estimated that approximately 54 million Americans have pre-diabetes in addition to the 20.8 million already diagnosed with the disease.
• Type 2 diabetes affects about 20% of people 65 years and older
• African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders are more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites.
• More and more youth are developing type 2 diabetes, the form of diabetes that up until recent years was mainly diagnosed in adults. Children who are overweight, lead sedentary lifestyles, and have a family history of type 2 diabetes are particularly at risk. The number of children with type 2 diabetes is expected to continually increase as the US population becomes increasingly overweight.

The impact of diabetes on the U.S. economy is staggering and amounted to nearly $174 billion in 2007 or one out of every 10 health care dollars spent in the U.S. Direct medical costs totaled $116 billion of that $27 billion for diabetes care, $58 billion for chronic diabetes-related complications, and $31 billion for excess prevalence of general medical conditions (i.e. doctor's visits or days in the hospital for something other than diabetes or diabetes complications). Indirect costs resulting from lost workdays, restricted activity days, death, and permanent disability due to diabetes totaled $58.2 billion. Approximately $87 billion was spent for inpatient hospital care and for nursing home care for people with diabetes. As the population ages, it is likely that these amounts will increase. Also, as the lifestyle trend of the U.S., such as obesity, continue to increase diabetes prevalence rates, the projected spending for diabetes will grow far beyond what it is today.