The full burden of diabetes in terms of death, complications, and costs is not easy to measure. Mortality records often fail to reflect the role of diabetes in premature deaths, and the costs related to undiagnosed diabetes are unknown. Furthermore, for families and communities, the loss of people s lives and abilities transcends numerical measures. The term diabetes describes either a deficiency of insulin or a decreased ability of the body to use insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas. Insulin is also needed to synthesize protein and store fats.
Some women develop diabetes during pregnancy.
The increasing burden of diabetes and its complications is alarming, but the good news is that much of the burden of this major public health problem can be prevented with early detection, improved delivery of care, and better education on diabetes self-management. Each year, about 33,000 people with diabetes develop kidney failure, and more than 100,000 people with diabetes receive treatment for this condition. Because the rate of kidney failure is rapidly increasing, these costs are expected to rise. At least half of the new cases of diabetes-related kidney failure each year could be prevented. Over half of these amputations could be prevented.