General Information

What is diabetes? 

Diabetes is a group of diseases marked by high 

levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both. Diabetes 

can lead to serious complications and premature 

death, but people with diabetes can take steps to 

control the disease and lower the risk of complications.

Types of diabetes

Type 1 diabetes was previously called insulindependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenileonset diabetes. Type 1 diabetes develops when the 

body’s immune system destroys pancreatic beta 

cells, the only cells in the body that make the hormone insulin that regulates blood glucose. To survive, people with type 1 diabetes must have insulin delivered by injection or a pump. This form of 

diabetes usually strikes children and young adults, 

although disease onset can occur at any age. Type 

1 diabetes accounts for 5% to 10% of all diagnosed 

cases of diabetes. Risk factors for type 1 diabetes 

may be autoimmune, genetic, or environmental. 

There is no known way to prevent type 1 diabetes. 

Several clinical trials of methods of the prevention 

of type 1 diabetes are currently in progress or are 

being planned.

Type 2 diabetes was previously called non–insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or 

adult-onset diabetes. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 

about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. It usually begins as insulin resistance, a disorder in which the cells do not use insulin properly. 

As the need for insulin rises, the pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce it. Type 2 diabetes is 

associated with older age, obesity, family history of 

diabetes, history of gestational diabetes, impaired 

glucose metabolism, physical inactivity, and race/

ethnicity. African Americans, Hispanic/Latino 

Americans, American Indians, and some Asian 

Americans and Native Hawaiians or other Pacific 

Islanders are at particularly high risk for type 2 

diabetes and its complications. Clinically based 

reports and regional studies suggest that type 2 

diabetes in children and adolescents, although still 

rare, is being diagnosed more frequently, particularly in American Indians, African Americans, and 

Hispanic/Latino Americans. 

Gestational diabetes is a form of glucose intolerance diagnosed in some women during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes occurs more frequently among African Americans, Hispanic/Latino 

Americans, and American Indians. It is also more 

common among obese women and women with a 

family history of diabetes. During pregnancy, gestational diabetes requires treatment to normalize 

maternal blood glucose levels to avoid complications in the infant. After pregnancy, 5% to 10% of 

women with gestational diabetes are found to have 

type 2 diabetes. Women who have had gestational 

diabetes have a 20% to 50% chance of developing 

diabetes in the next 5–10 years.

Other types of diabetes result from specific 

genetic conditions (such as maturity-onset diabetes 

of youth), surgery, drugs, malnutrition, infections, 

and other illnesses. Such types of diabetes account 

for 1% to 5% of all diagnosed cases. 

United States

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Treating diabetes

 To survive, people with type 1 diabetes must 

have insulin delivered by injection or a pump. 

 Many people with type 2 diabetes can control 

their blood glucose by following a healthy 

meal plan and exercise program, losing excess 

weight, and taking oral medication. 

 Many people with diabetes also need to take 

medications to control their cholesterol and 

blood pressure. 

 Diabetes self-management education (DMSE) 

is an integral component of medical care. 

 Among adults with diagnosed diabetes, 16% 

take insulin only, 12% take both insulin and 

oral medication, 57% take oral medication 

only, and 15% do not take either insulin or oral 

medications.

Prediabetes: Impaired glucose 

tolerance and impaired fasting glucose

 Prediabetes is a condition that raises the risk 

of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, 

and stroke. People with prediabetes have blood 

glucose levels higher than normal but not high 

enough to be classified as diabetes.

 People with prediabetes have impaired fasting 

glucose (IFG) or impaired glucose tolerance 

(IGT). Some people have both IFG and IGT. 

 IFG is a condition in which the fasting blood 

sugar level is 100 to 125 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) after an overnight fast. The level is 

higher than normal but not high enough to be 

classified as diabetes. 

 IGT is a condition in which the blood sugar 

level is 140 to 199 mg/dL after a 2-hour oral 

glucose tolerance test. This level is higher than 

normal but not high enough to be classified as 

diabetes. 

 In a cross-section sample of U.S. adults aged 

40–74 years tested from 1988 to 1994, 33.8% 

had IFG, 15.4% had IGT, and 40.1% had 

prediabetes (IGT or IFG or both). Applying 

these percentages to the entire U.S. population 

in 2000, an estimated 35 million adults aged 

40–74 had IFG, 16 million had IGT, and 41 

million had prediabetes (there is overlap between the IFG and IGT groups). 

 Progression to diabetes among those with prediabetes is not inevitable. Studies have shown 

that people with prediabetes who lose weight 

and increase their physical activity can prevent 

or delay diabetes and even return their blood 

glucose levels to normal.

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The estimates on diabetes in this fact sheet were 

derived from various data systems of the Centers 

for Disease Control and Prevention, the outpatient database of the Indian Health Service (IHS), 

the U.S. Renal Data System of the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Census Bureau, and 

published studies. Estimates of the total number 

of persons with diabetes and the prevalence of 

diabetes in 2005 were derived using 1999–2002 

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1999-2003 National Health 

Interview Survey (NHIS), 2003 IHS data, and 

2005 resident population estimates. Many of the 

estimated numbers and percentages of people with 

diabetes were derived by applying diabetes prevalence estimates from health surveys of the civilian, noninstitutionalized population to the most 

recent 2005 resident population estimates. These 

estimates have some variability due to the limits 

of the measurements and estimation procedures. 

The procedures assumed that age-race-sex–specific 

percentages of adults with diabetes (diagnosed and 

undiagnosed) in 2005 are the same as they were 

in earlier time periods (e.g., 1999–2002), and that 

the age-race-sex percentages of adults with diabetes in resident population is identical to that in the 

civilian, noninstitutionalized population. Deviations from these assumptions may result in overor under-estimated numbers and percentages. For 

further information on the methods for deriving 

total, diagnosed, and undiagnosed prevalence of 

diabetes from NHANES data, see http://www.cdc.

gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5235a1.htm. 

More detail on the data sources, references, and 

methods are available at http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/references.htm.

Prevalence of diagnosed diabetes 

in people aged 20 years or younger, 

United States, 2005

About 176,500 people aged 20 years or younger 

have diabetes. This represents 0.22% of all people 

in this age group. 

About one in every 400 to 600 children and adolescents has type 1 diabetes. 

Although type 2 diabetes can occur in youth, the 

nationally representative data that would be needed to monitor diabetes trends in youth by type are 

not available. Clinically based reports and regional 

studies suggest that type 2 diabetes, although still 

rare, is being diagnosed more frequently in children and adolescents, particularly in American 

Indians, African Americans, and Hispanic/Latino 

Americans.

National Estimates on Diabetes

Diabetes Prevalence

Total prevalence of diabetes in the

United States, all ages, 2005

Total: 20.8 million people—7.0% of the 

population—have diabetes.

Diagnosed: 14.6 million people

Undiagnosed: 6.2 million people

Total prevalence of diabetes

among people aged 20 years or

older, United States, 2005

Age 20 years or older: 20.6 million or 9.6% of 

all people in this age group have diabetes.

Age 60 years or older: 10.3 million or 

20.9% of all people in this age group

have diabetes.

Men: 10.9 million or 10.5% of all men aged

20 years or older have diabetes.

Women: 9.7 million or 8.8% of all women 

aged 20 years or older have diabetes.
Total prevalence of diabetes by 

race/ethnicity among people aged 20 

years or older, United States, 2005

Non-Hispanic whites: 13.1 million, or 8.7% 

of all non-Hispanic whites aged 20 years or older 

have diabetes.

Non-Hispanic blacks: 3.2 million, or 13.3% 

of all non-Hispanic blacks aged 20 years or older 

have diabetes. After adjusting for population age 

differences, non-Hispanic blacks are 1.8 times as 

likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites.

Hispanic/Latino Americans: After adjusting 

for population age differences, Mexican Americans, the largest Hispanic/Latino subgroup, are 1.7 

times as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic 

whites. If the prevalence of diabetes among Mexican Americans was applied to the total Hispanic/

Latino population, about 2.5 million (9.5%) Hispanic/Latino Americans aged 20 years or older 

would have diabetes. Sufficient data are not available to derive estimates of the total prevalence of 

diabetes (both diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes) for other Hispanic/Latino groups. However, 

residents of Puerto Rico are 1.8 times as likely to 

have diagnosed diabetes as U.S. non-Hispanic 

whites. 

American Indians and Alaska Natives:

99,500, or 12.8% of American Indians and Alaska 

Natives aged 20 years or older who received care 

from IHS in 2003 had diagnosed diabetes. Applying the rate of undiagnosed diabetes in the 

total U.S. population to the American Indians and 

Alaska Natives who receive care from IHS gives 

an estimate of 118,000 (15.1%) American Indians 

and Alaska Natives aged 20 years or older with diabetes (both diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes). 

After adjusting for population age differences, the 

total prevalence of diabetes in this group is lowest 

among Alaska Natives (8.1%), and highest among 

American Indians in the southern United States 

(26.7%) and in southern Arizona (27.6%). Taking 

into account population age differences, American 

Indians and Alaska Natives are 2.2 times as likely 

to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites. 

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders:

The total prevalence of diabetes (both diagnosed 

and undiagnosed diabetes) is not available for 

Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders. However, 

in Hawaii, Asians, Native Hawaiians, and other 

Pacific Islanders aged 20 years or older are more 

than 2 times as likely to have diagnosed diabetes 

as whites after adjusting for population age differences. Similarly, in California, Asians were 1.5 

times as likely to have diagnosed diabetes as nonHispanic whites. Other groups within these populations also have increased risk for diabetes.

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Incidence of diabetes,

United States, 2005

1.5 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed 

in people aged 20 years or older in 2005.

Deaths among people with diabetes, 

United States, 2002

 Diabetes was the sixth leading cause of death 

listed on U.S. death certificates in 2002. This 

ranking is based on the 73,249 death certificates in which diabetes was listed as the underlying cause of death. According to death certificate reports, diabetes contributed to a total of 

224,092 deaths. 

 Diabetes is likely to be underreported as a 

cause of death. Studies have found that only 

about 35% to 40% of decedents with diabetes 

had it listed anywhere on the death certificate 

and only about 10% to 15% had it listed as the 

underlying cause of death. 

 Overall, the risk for death among people with 

diabetes is about twice that of people without 

diabetes of similar age.

Complications of diabetes in the 

United States

Heart disease and stroke

 Heart disease and stroke account for about 

65% of deaths in people with diabetes.

 Adults with diabetes have heart disease death 

rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes. 

 The risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher among 

people with diabetes. 

High blood pressure 

 About 73% of adults with diabetes have blood 

pressure greater than or equal to 130/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or use prescription 

medications for hypertension. 

Blindness 

 Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of 

blindness among adults aged 20–74 years. 

 Diabetic retinopathy causes 12,000 to 24,000 

new cases of blindness each year. 

Kidney disease 

 Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, 

accounting for 44% of new cases in 2002. 

 In 2002, 44,400 people with diabetes began 

treatment for end-stage kidney disease in the 

United States and Puerto Rico. 

 In 2002, a total of 153,730 people with endstage kidney disease due to diabetes were living 

on chronic dialysis or with a kidney transplant 

in the United States and Puerto Rico. 

Nervous system disease

 About 60% to 70% of people with diabetes 

have mild to severe forms of nervous system 

damage. The results of such damage include 

impaired sensation or pain in the feet or hands, 

slowed digestion of food in the stomach, carpal 

tunnel syndrome, and other nerve problems. 

 Almost 30% of people with diabetes aged 40 

years or older have impaired sensation in the 

feet (i.e., at least one area that lacks feeling).

 Severe forms of diabetic nerve disease are a 

major contributing cause of lower-extremity 

amputations. 

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Amputations 

 More than 60% of nontraumatic lower-limb 

amputations occur in people with diabetes. 

 In 2002, about 82,000 nontraumatic lower-limb 

amputations were performed in people with 

diabetes. 

Dental disease 

 Periodontal (gum) disease is more common in 

people with diabetes. Among young adults, 

those with diabetes have about twice the risk of 

those without diabetes. 

 Almost one-third of people with diabetes have 

severe periodontal disease with loss of attachment of the gums to the teeth measuring 5 millimeters or more. 

Complications of pregnancy 

 Poorly controlled diabetes before conception 

and during the first trimester of pregnancy 

can cause major birth defects in 5% to 10% of 

pregnancies and spontaneous abortions in 15% 

to 20% of pregnancies. 

 Poorly controlled diabetes during the second 

and third trimesters of pregnancy can result in 

excessively large babies, posing a risk to both 

mother and child. 

Other complications 

 Uncontrolled diabetes often leads to biochemical imbalances that can cause acute life-threatening events, such as diabetic ketoacidosis and 

hyperosmolar (nonketotic) coma. 

 People with diabetes are more susceptible to 

many other illnesses and, once they acquire 

these illnesses, often have worse prognoses. 

For example, they are more likely to die with 

pneumonia or influenza than people who do 

not have diabetes. 

Preventing diabetes complications

Diabetes can affect many parts of the body and 

can lead to serious complications such as blindness, kidney damage, and lower-limb amputations. 

Working together, people with diabetes and their 

health care providers can reduce the occurrence of 

these and other diabetes complications by controlling the levels of blood glucose, blood pressure, 

and blood lipids, and by receiving other preventive care practices in a timely manner.

Glucose control

Studies in the United States and abroad have 

found that improved glycemic control benefits 

people with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. In 

general, every percentage point drop in A1C 

blood test results (e.g., from 8.0% to 7.0%) reduces 

the risk of microvascular complications (eye, kidney, and nerve diseases) by 40%. 

Blood pressure control 

 Blood pressure control reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease (heart disease or stroke) among 

persons with diabetes by 33% to 50%, and the 

risk of microvascular complications (eye, kidney, 

and nerve diseases) by approximately 33%. 

 In general, for every 10 mm Hg reduction in 

systolic blood pressure, the risk for any complication related to diabetes is reduced by 12%. 

Control of blood lipids 

 Improved control of cholesterol or blood lipids 

(for example, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides) 

can reduce cardiovascular complications by 

20% to 50%. 

Preventive care practices for eyes, 

kidneys, and feet

 Detecting and treating diabetic eye disease with 

laser therapy can reduce the development of 

severe vision loss by an estimated 50% to 60%. 

 Comprehensive foot care programs can reduce 

amputation rates by 45% to 85%. 

 Detecting and treating early diabetic kidney 

disease by lowering blood pressure can reduce 

the decline in kidney function by 30% to 70%. 

Treatment with ACE inhibitors and angiotensin 

receptor blockers (ARBs) are more effective in 

reducing the decline in kidney function than 

other blood pressure lowering drugs. 
Acknowledgments

The following organizations collaborated in compiling the information for this fact sheet:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

http://www.ahrq.gov/browse/diabetes.htm

American Association of Diabetes Educators

http://www.aadenet.org 

American Diabetes Association

http://www.diabetes.org*

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

http://cms.hhs.gov

Department of Veterans Affairs

http://www.va.gov/health/diabetes

Health Resources and Services Administration

http://www.hrsa.gov

Indian Health Service 

http://www.ihs.gov/MedicalPrograms/Diabetes/

index.asp

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International

http://www.jdrf.org*

National Diabetes Education Program, a joint 

program of NIH and CDC

http://www.ndep.nih.gov

http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/ndep/index.htm

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and 

Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health

http://www.niddk.nih.gov

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 

Office of Minority Health 

http://www.omhrc.gov

Note

This publication is not subject to copyright restrictions; please duplicate and distribute copies as 

desired.

Citation

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National diabetes fact sheet: general information and 

national estimates on diabetes in the United States, 

2005. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention, 2005.

CDC Division of Diabetes Translation

Public Inquiries/Publications

Phone toll free: 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4366)

1-888-232-6348 TTY

Internet: www.cdc.gov/diabetes

E-mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov

Mail: P.O. Box 43166, Phoenix, AZ 85080-3166

Estimated diabetes costs in the 

United States in 2002

Total (direct and indirect): $132 billion

Direct medical costs: $92 billion

Indirect costs: $40 billion (disability, work 

loss, premature mortality)

These data are based on a study by the Lewin 

Group, Inc., for the American Diabetes Association 

and are 2002 estimates of both the direct (cost of 

medical care and services) and indirect costs (costs of 

short-term and permanent disability and of premature death) attributable to diabetes. This study used 

a specific cost-of-disease methodology to estimate the 

health care costs due to diabetes.
Diabetes Glossary

 Blood glucose is the main sugar found in the 

blood and the body’s main source of energy. 

The A1c blood test is used to measure a person’s average blood sugar level over the past 2 

to 3 months. 

 Blood pressure is the force of blood on the 

inside walls of blood vessels, measured by 

analyzing both the systolic blood pressure, the 

pressure when the heart pushes blood out into 

the arteries, and the diastolic blood pressure, 

when the heart is at rest. 

 Blood lipid is a term for fat in the blood stream, 

and is measured with a lipid profile blood test. 

The lipid profile test measures total cholesterol, 

the fat produced by the liver and found in 

some foods, triglycerides, the storage form of 

fat in the body, HDL cholesterol, fat that takes 

extra cholesterol from the blood to the liver for 

removal, and LDL cholesterol, fat that takes 

excess cholesterol around the body to where 

it’s needed, but excess ultimately rests on the 

inside of artery walls. 

 Diabetic ketoacidosis is a condition in which 

very high blood sugar levels along with a very 

low level of insulin result in a dangerous accumulation of ketones -- substances produced 

when the body breaks down fat for energy -- in 

the blood and urine. Hyperosmolar nonketotic 

syndrome is another condition in which one’s 

blood sugar levels become very high and necessary ketones are not present in the blood or 

urine. Coma or death can result if both of these 

conditions are not treated. 

 Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert 

sugar, starches, and other food into energy 

needed for daily life.

 Metformin is a medicine pill used to treat type 

2 diabetes because it lowers blood sugar levels 

by reducing the amount of sugar produced by 

the liver and helping the body respond better 

to insulin.

 Maturity-onset diabetes of the young is a kind 

of type 2 diabetes that accounts for 1 to 5 percent of people with diabetes and is a result of a 

defect in a single gene.

 Non-traumatic lower-limb amputation is a 

procedure to remove through surgery damaged 

feet or legs, where the injury was not caused by 

trauma (e.g., the injury was not caused by a car 

accident).

 Diabetic retinopathy is diabetic eye disease that 

results from damage to the small blood vessels 

in the retina, the back part of the eye that contains the cells that respond to light. It may lead 

to loss of eyesight. Laser therapy, one possible 

treatment option, uses a strong beam of light to 

seal the leaking blood vessels in the eye.

 End-stage renal disease is kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant to survive.

 Glucose intolerance is a condition in which the 

body has blood sugar levels higher than normal, but not high enough to classify as diabetes. It is diagnosed using an oral glucose tolerance test which requires a fasting period of 8 to 

12 hours and the blood sugar is measured both 

fasting and 2 hours after drinking a high-sugar 

drink.

* Links to non-Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not 

constitute an endorsement of any organization 

by CDC or the Federal Government, and none 

should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Webpages found at this link.