An Estimated 1 in 4 Americans Living with Diabetes Don’t Know They Have the Disease
Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers, Director, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
(Washington D.C., Wednesday, October 25, 2017) – More than 2 in 3 adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese, leading to increased likelihood of health problems that may affect quality of life, such as type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
November is National Diabetes Month, and offers a unique opportunity to bring attention to this chronic disease. More than 30 million Americans live with diabetes. Research has shown that managing diabetes as early as possible can help prevent diabetes-related health problems including kidney disease, vision loss, heart disease, amputation, and stroke.
An estimated 1 in 4 Americans living with diabetes don’t know they have the disease, and if left undiagnosed or untreated, diabetes can lead to serious health problems.
The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP), a program of the NIDDK at the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is promoting the National Diabetes Month theme, You Are the Center of Your Diabetes Care Team.
The All of Us Research Program, a bold effort to gather data on diseases in conjunction with individual differences in lifestyle, environment, and biology from more than 1 million people living in the United States, with the ultimate goal of accelerating research and improving health.
This year’s theme serves as a reminder to people with diabetes that they are the most important member of the diabetes care team, and that managing diabetes is a team effort that requires the participation of patients, their families, their health care teams, and other networks of support. People with diabetes are not alone in their journey and should never be afraid to ask for help.
Find out more about how NIDDK-supported research, like the All of Us Research Program, is working to improve how diabetes and other diseases are treated in conjunction with individual differences in lifestyle, environment, and biology. To learn more, visit niddk.nih.gov.