Number of People With Diabetes Increases to 24 Million

Estimates of Diagnosed Diabetes Now Available for all U.S. Counties

ATLANTA, June 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Diabetes now affects nearly 24
million people in the United States, an increase of more than 3 million in
approximately two years, according to new 2007 prevalence data estimates
released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This
means that nearly 8 percent of the U.S. population has diabetes.

In addition to the 24 million with diabetes, another 57 million people are
estimated to have pre-diabetes, a condition that puts people at increased risk
for diabetes. Among people with diabetes, those who do not know they have the
disease decreased from 30 percent to 25 percent over a two-year period.

"These new estimates have both good news and bad news, said Dr. Ann Albright,
director of the CDC Division of Diabetes Translation. "It is concerning to
know that we have more people developing diabetes, and these data are a
reminder of the importance of increasing awareness of this condition,
especially among people who are at high risk. On the other hand, it is good to
see that more people are aware that they have diabetes. That is an indication
that our efforts to increase awareness are working, and more importantly, that
more people are better prepared to manage this disease and its complications."

Diabetes is a disease associated with high levels of blood glucose resulting
from defects in insulin production that causes sugar to build up in the body.
It is the seventh leading cause of death in the country and can cause serious
health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and
lower-extremity amputations.

Among adults, diabetes increased in both men and women and in all age groups,
but still disproportionately affects the elderly. Almost 25 percent of the
population 60 years and older had diabetes in 2007. And, as in previous years,
disparities exist among ethnic groups and minority populations including
Native Americans, blacks and Hispanics. After adjusting for population age
differences between the groups, the rate of diagnosed diabetes was highest
among Native Americans and Alaska Natives (16.5 percent). This was followed by
blacks (11.8 percent) and Hispanics (10.4 percent), which includes rates for
Puerto Ricans (12.6 percent), Mexican Americans (11.9 percent), and Cubans
(8.2 percent). By comparison, the rate for Asian Americans was 7.5 percent
with whites at 6.6 percent.

The data are an update of diabetes prevalence estimates last reported two
years ago and now published in the 2007 National Diabetes Fact Sheet developed
by CDC in collaboration with multiple agencies under the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services and other federal agencies.

CDC also is releasing estimates of diagnosed diabetes for all counties in the
United States. Derived from the agency's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance
Survey (BRFSS) and census data, the estimates provide a clearer picture of
areas within states that have higher diabetes rates. Nationally, the data
indicate increased diabetes rates in areas of the Southeast and Appalachia
that have traditionally been recognized as being at higher risk for many
chronic diseases, including heart disease and stroke.

"These data are an important step in identifying the places in a state that
have the greatest number of people affected by diabetes," said Dr. Albright.
"If states know which communities or areas have more people with diabetes,
they can use that information to target their efforts or tailor them to meet
the needs of specific communities."

CDC, through its Division of Diabetes Translation, funds diabetes prevention
and control programs in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia and
eight U.S. territories and island jurisdictions. The National Diabetes
Education Program, co-sponsored by CDC and the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), provides diabetes education to improve the treatment and outcomes for
people with diabetes, promote early diagnosis, and prevent or delay the onset
of diabetes.

For more information on diabetes, please visit www.cdc.gov/diabetes. To access
the National Diabetes Fact Sheet and county-level estimates of diagnosed
diabetes, click on the "data and trends" link at the left.

SOURCE Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CDC Division of Media Relations, +1-404-639-3286