Diabetes effects a lot of people in the united states.7 million people have diabetes in the united states. That means that 5.9% of are population has diabetes. 10.3 million people are diagnosed with diabetes and 5.4 million are undiagnosed with diabetes. Unfortunately there are 798,000 new diagnoses a year. Diabetes seems to effect people that are 65 or older the most. 18.4% of people that are 65 or older have diabetes. People that are between the ages 20 and 64 are half as likely to have diabetes as someone older than 65. Also in the united states women are more likely than males to have diabetes. 8.1 million women have diabetes and 7.5 million man have diabetes. With all these tragic statistic some are still wondering what is diabetes?.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the body doesn't make enough of a hormone called insulin, or the body doesn't use insulin the right way. Insulin is responsible for regulation of blood glucose. Blood glucose is much need because that is what is used to make energy. There are four different types of diabetes. The first type of diabetes is called insulin-dependent mellitus or juvenile onset diabetes. The development of type 1 diabetes is caused by environmental factors, genetic, and autoimmune.(5%-10% of diagnosed diabetes) The second type is called non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or adult-onset diabetes. The development of type 2 diabetes is caused by obesity, older age, family history of diabetes, history of gestational diabetes, glucose tolerance, physical inactivity, and race(90%-95%).
The third type of diabetes is Gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is caused from pregnancies. 2%-5% of all pregnancies develop Gestational diabetes but it disappears when the pregnancy is over. This form of diabetes is most effected to American Indians, Hispanics/Latinos Americans, African Americans, and someone with family history of diabetes.