iPump's Founder, Lahle Wolfe, and her daughter, Elizabeth, both have diabetes. |
Who do you know that has diabetes?You might be surprised.... because almost everyone knows someone who has diabetes. An estimated 20.8 million people in the United States—7.0 percent of the population—have diabetes, a serious, lifelong condition. Of those, 14.6 million have been diagnosed, and 6.2 million have not yet been diagnosed. In 2005, about 1.5 million people aged 20 or older were diagnosed with diabetes. For additional statistics, see the National Diabetes Statistics fact sheet online at www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/statistics or call the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse at 1–800–860–8747 to request a copy. |
What is type 2 diabetes?
The most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes. About 90 to 95 percent of people with diabetes have type 2. This form of diabetes is most often associated with older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, previous history of gestational diabetes, physical inactivity, and certain ethnicities. About 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight.
Type 2 diabetes is increasingly being diagnosed in children and adolescents. However, nationally representative data on prevalence of type 2 diabetes in youth are not available.
When type 2 diabetes is diagnosed, the pancreas is usually producing enough insulin, but for unknown reasons the body cannot use the insulin effectively, a condition called insulin resistance. After several years, insulin production decreases. The result is the same as for type 1 diabetes—glucose builds up in the blood and the body cannot make efficient use of its main source of fuel.
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes
The symptoms of type 2 diabetes develop gradually. Their onset is not as sudden as in type 1 diabetes. Symptoms may include fatigue, frequent urination, increased thirst and hunger, weight loss, blurred vision, and slow healing of wounds or sores. Some people have no symptoms.
Insulin dependent diabetics will die without insulin
People with all forms of type 1 diabetes are insulin dependent. This means without taking insulin each day they will die. If a persons takes too little or too much insulin they can suffer serious medical complications or even rapid death.
It is CRITICAL for people with insulin dependent diabetes to have enough insulin AND blood glucose testing supplies to manage their care each day.
Find more information about type 2 diabetes:
This information is an excerpt from NIH Publication No. 06–3873, September 2006, reprinted with permission courtesy of the National Institutes for Health.
