Although doctors know more than ever before about preventing and managing diabetes, the disease is becoming more common. About 6 percent of all Americans have diabetes, a disease that results from a deficiency of the hormone insulin. Most patients with diabetes have what's called type 2 diabetes, the kind developed in adulthood. And about a third of the people who suffer from diabetes haven't been diagnosed with the condition and aren't being treated.
Diabetes can have serious consequences.
It's linked to an increased risk for heart disease, kidney failure and stroke. It can result in amputation of lower extremities due to poor circulation, and it can even lead to blindness. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in America, and it hits African Americans and Native Americans especially hard. People in those ethnic groups, along with those who have a family history of the disease and those who are obese, are most at risk for developing diabetes. Doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas say careful monitoring of a patient's condition can help prevent many of the complications of diabetes.