Nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes, 79 million U.S. adults have prediabetes

[The Straight Story]

Nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes, according new estimates from CDC; 79 million U.S. adults have prediabetes

The number of Americans with diabetes continues to increase, according to CDC's most recent National Diabetes Fact Sheet. So does the number of Americans with prediabetes, a condition that increases their risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

The National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 2011, provides data on how many Americans have diabetes, as well as information on age, racial and ethnic differences in diabetes, and on complications of the disease. Below are some highlights from the fact sheet.

Diabetes affects 8.3% of all Americans and 11.3% of adults age 20 and older. Some 27% of people with diabetes – 7 million Americans – do not know they have the disease. In 2010, 1.9 million Americans were first diagnosed with diabetes.

Prediabetes affects 35% of adults age 20 and older, and half of Americans age 65 and older. Prediabetes is a condition in which blood glucose (sugar) levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.

CDC estimates that as many as 1 in 3 U.S. adults could have diabetes by 2050 if current trends continue. Type 2 diabetes, in which the body gradually loses its ability to use and produce insulin, accounts for 90% to 95% of cases. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include older age, obesity, family history, having diabetes while pregnant, a sedentary lifestyle and race/ethnicity.




http://www.cdc.gov/features/DiabetesFactSheet/?s_cid=tw_cdc318

[Newsjock]

1. Making 1 in 3 Americans essentially uninsurable in the private market

Everyone has a "pre-existing condition" of some type.

[kestrel91316]

2. I had trouble with a GI problem 25 years ago that hasn't bothered

me in nearly that long and insurers STILL balk at it, even though it is COMPLETELY resolved.