After the doctor has determined that a patient has diabetes, the doctor will consider many factors to determine which type of diabetes a patient has. Generally, persons with type 1 are diagnosed prior to age 30, are lean and have had diabetic ketoacidosis or high ketone levels in their urine. Type 2 individuals are diagnosed when they're over 30 years of age, obese and do not have urine ketones. However, there are exceptions to these categories. Back To Top Complications of Diabetes About 193,000 people die annually due to diabetes and its complications.
Many people only learn they have diabetes when one of the following complications develops.
Blindness due to diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in persons 20 to 74 years old. Kidney disease due to diabetic nephropathy, the most common cause of end-stage renal disease, a condition that requires dialysis or a kidney transplant. About 70 percent of diabetics have mild to severe forms of diabetic nerve damage which may lead to lower limb amputations. Diabetics have a 15 to 40 times greater risk of leg amputation than nondiabetics.