Diabetes Statistics in the US
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects how the body turns food into energy (CDC).
Our bodies break down food into sugar (glucose) and release it into the bloodstream. That is also the signal for the pancreas to release insulin which acts as a catalyst, allowing blood sugar into the body’s cells to use as energy.
People with diabetes don’t produce enough insulin, or it isn’t correctly used, resulting in too much blood sugar in the bloodstream. The prevalence of diabetes in US is a massive cause for concern since this condition can lead to serious health complications, such as heart disease, vision loss, or kidney disease.
While there isn’t a cure for diabetes, there are specific steps that you can take to make the disease more manageable. You must maintain regular appointments with your doctor, take medication as prescribed, and educate yourself on the disease. Another important thing to do is research and utilize telehealth solutions that help with chronic disease management.
Below we will look at some of the staggering US diabetes statistics.
In the United States, there are 34.2 million people with diabetes.
That means that 10.5% of the population is managing this chronic disease.
An estimated 26.8 million people are diagnosed with diabetes each year.
In other words, 10.2% of the population had been diagnosed with the disease, while roughly 7.3 million people have diabetes but have not yet been diagnosed.
Types of Diabetes
Approximately 5-10% of people with diabetes have type 1.
Type 1 is believed to be an autoimmune reaction stopping the body from making insulin. The symptoms develop quickly and are detected in children, teens, and young adults. People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day to survive.
About 90-95% of people have type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes prevalence is problematic: it used to develop over the years until it was diagnosed in adults. However, it is diagnosed more and more in children, teens, and young adults today.
Gestational diabetes increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Gestational diabetes develops in pregnant women who have never had diabetes. The baby could be at a higher risk for health problems, but it usually goes away after birth. Still, developing gestational diabetes increases the chance that the baby will have type 2 diabetes or be obese.
In the United States, 96 million adults have prediabetes.
The prevalence of diabetes is evident in 1 in 3 adults having prediabetes. That means their blood sugar levels are higher than usual but not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2.
Nearly 29 million adults ages 18 to 44 (24.3% of adults) have prediabetes.
More than 35 million adults ages 45 to 64 and more than 24 million adults ages 65 or older have prediabetes.
More than 80% of people with prediabetes don’t know they have it.
This diabetes prevalence means 8 in 10 people don’t realize they are at a higher risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Annual New Cases Diabetes Stats
In 2018, an estimated 1.5 million new cases were diagnosed in adults aged 18 and older in the U.S.
Out of them, approximately 210 000 were children and adolescents younger than 20.
In 2014-2015, the annual number of newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes cases was 18 291 children and adolescents younger than 20.
For comparison, CDC diabetes statistics show that 5 758 children and adolescents aged 10 - 19 were diagnosed with type 2.
A Deadly Disease
In 2019, diabetes was the nation’s seventh-leading cause of death.
Diabetes accounted for 87 647 deaths in 2019. Those managing this disease are twice as likely to have a heart disease or a stroke, and diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure.
Diabetes was listed as the underlying or contributing cause of death on 270 702 death certificates in 2017.
Diabetes statistics show that many complications can arise aside from the disease itself and potentially lead to fatal outcomes.
In 2021, more than 100 000 Americans died from diabetes.
This marked the second straight year in which the number of deaths surpassed the 100 000 deaths grim milestone.
Diabetes-related deaths surged 17% in 2021 compared to the pre-pandemic level in 2019.
Additionally, the CDC announced that the diabetes mortality rate is up and that the additional deaths from 2021 are still being tallied.
The Cost of Diabetes
The total estimated 2017 cost of diabetes was $327 billion.
This includes $237 billion in direct medical costs and $90 billion in reduced productivity.
People with diagnosed diabetes incur average medical expenditures of $16 752 per year.
Out of this cost, diabetes accounts for $9 601.
People with diagnosed diabetes have approximately 2.3 times higher medical expenditures than they would have been without diabetes.
Diabetes in the US accounts for 1 in 4 healthcare dollars spent.
Diabetes Complications
In 2016, 7.8 million hospital discharges were reported with diabetes as any listed diagnosis in US adults.
Additionally, 1.7 million discharges were reported, including 438 000 for ischemic heart disease and 313 000 for stroke.
In 2016, there were 130 000 discharges for lower-extremity amputation.
They coupled with 224 000 discharges for the hyperglycemic crisis (severe high blood sugar).
Diabetes in Americans resulted in 16 million emergency department visits in 2016.
Hypoglycemia (severe low blood sugar) accounted for 235 000 of those.
Among US adults aged 18 and older, there was an estimated prevalence of chronic kidney disease at 37% for people with diabetes from 2013 to 2016.
Diabetes by Race and Other Factors
For 2017-18, diabetes diagnosis was highest among American Indians/Alaska Natives (14.8%).
For people of Hispanic origin, 12.5% were diagnosed, along with non-Hispanic blacks (11.7%). It was slightly less for Asians (9.2%) and whites (7.5%).
Within the American Indian/Alaska Native male population, 14.5% were diagnosed with diabetes.
This is higher than non-Hispanic black (11.4%), non-Hispanic Asian (10%), and non-Hispanic whites (8.6%) men.
Men are 2x more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than women.
The prevalence of diabetes in US suggests that there are nuanced differences between men and women and how they develop this condition. Some research suggests that it is related to where people carry fat: men mostly have visceral fat, whereas women tend to have more subcutaneous fat.
Among adults, 13.3% with less than a high school education had been diagnosed with diabetes.
This suggests that there is a socioeconomic factor for diabetes statistics: out of people with a high school education, there were 9.7% diagnosed with diabetes, compared to 7.5% with more than a high school education.
