What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease where your body causes your blood sugar to rise higher than normal. Blood sugar can become high either because your body lacks insulin or because your body is not able to use the insulin it makes properly. Insulin is a hormone that helps the sugar (glucose) in your blood enter cells in your body for energy. Without insulin, more sugar stays in the blood. The different types of diabetes are: Type 1, Type 2, and Gestational.
Diabetes can lead to serious problems such as: blindness, stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease.
Diabetes Facts:
In the United States:
- 37.3 million people have diabetes. That’s 1 in every 9 people!
- Medical costs for people with diabetes are 2x as high as for people without diabetes.
- $327 billion dollars in total medical costs and lost wages for people with diagnosed diabetes.
In Hawaii:
- Diabetes affects over 167,000 adults in Hawaii. That's approximately 1 in 7 adults!
- An average of 28 patients are diagnosed with diabetes every day in Hawaii.
- 410,000 people have pre-diabetes and are at risk for type 2 diabetes.
What is prediabetes?
Prediabetes is when blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. There are no clear symptoms for prediabetes. People may have it and not know that they have it.
Did you know…
- 88 million American adults have prediabetes. That’s more than 1 in 3 people!
- More than 8 in 10 adults with prediabetes don’t even know they have it.
- Prediabetes increases your risk of: type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
- If you have prediabetes, losing weight by eating healthy and exercise can cut your risk of type 2 diabetes in HALF.