From the World Health Organization
Diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate in the United States. According to the CDC’s (Centers for Disease Control) National Diabetes Statistics Report for 2017, cases of diabetes have increased almost 13% over the last four years (23.1 million in 2015 vs. 25.8 million in 2010).
How Many People Have Diabetes?
- 3 million People, or 9.4% of the U.S. population, have diabetes, including 7.2 million people who have diabetes, but have not yet been diagnosed (All ages, 2015).
- Diabetes impacts all social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds.
- Type 1 diabetes accounts for about 5% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes, affecting approximately 1.5 million people.
New Cases of Diabetes in Adults and Children
- Among people 20 years or older, 1.7 million were newly-diagnosed with diabetes (2012) – approximately 4,657 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed each day.
- About 208,000 people younger than 20 years of age have been diagnosed with diabetes (type 1 or type 2). This represents 0.25% of all people in this age group (2012).
- The incidence of type 1 diabetes is significantly higher in people under age 20. According to a 2008-2009 study of 23,525 youths with diabetes, 78% were newly-diagnosed with type 1 diabetes vs. 22% who were newly-diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
There are two different types of diabetes, and both involve insulin, a natural hormone that the body requires for proper use of glucose. Type 1 diabetes, which accounts for only about 5 percent of diabetics, develops when the pancreas stops producing insulin, somewhat drastically. Type 2 diabetes develops over time when the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to meet the body’s needs, or the cells are becoming too resistant to the action of insulin, or a combination of both—so that the body can’t use the insulin that’s produced effectively enough to process the glucose.
Both types of diabetes lead to high blood sugar, but in type 1 diabetes there is little or no insulin from your own body to work with. With type 2 diabetes, weight loss and lifestyle changes can make a huge difference in your glucose control, often working with your own body’s insulin at first, and this can help direct how well you do with your disease down the line.
As a patient, it’s so important to understand your condition. This is especially true for people with diabetes. Though diabetes has no known cure right now, you should be aware of the recent medical advances and discoveries as researchers work on finding a cure and improving treatments.
Early diagnosis saves lives
Recognizing the symptoms of Type 1 diabetes is critical. Although Type 1 develops gradually, as the body’s insulin production decreases, blood glucose levels can become dangerously high once insulin production is outpaced. Symptoms may develop rapidly and can be mistaken for other illnesses such as the flu, even by doctors. A misdiagnosis can have tragic consequences.
Many people are familiar with Type 2 diabetes, but there is an under awareness for Type 1.
Early Symptoms of Type 1 diabetes
- Weight loss (despite an increased appetite)
- Unquenchable thirst
- Blurry vision
- Decreased energy level
- Frequent urination
- A fruity smell to the breath
- In children with no previous issues, wetting the bed
- In babies and toddlers, heavy diapers
More Advanced Symptom
- Stomach pain
- Fatigue or weakness
- Nausea or vomiting
- Rapid, heavy breathing
- Loss of consciousness
If you recognize any of the symptoms, contact your doctor immediately. A simple in-office test for sugar in the urine is used for diagnosis. If that test is positive, then a drop of blood from the fingertip will confirm diabetes. Every day, thousands of adults and children around the world are diagnosed, but many go undetected. Early diagnosis cannot prevent Type 1, but it can head off potentially devastating, even fatal, health concerns.
The goal for Energicx USA is to keep you informed so you can talk with ease about diabetes, not just with relatives and friends but also with your doctor. The more you know, the more involved you can be in your healthcare decisions.
