What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a group of diseases marked by high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both. Diabetes can lead to serious complications and premature death, but people with diabetes can take steps to control the disease and lower the risk of complications. In order to determine whether or not a patient has pre-diabetes or diabetes, health care providers conduct a Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (FPG) or an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT).
Types of diabetes
Type 1 diabetes was previously called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes. Type 1 diabetes develops when the body's immune system destroys pancreatic beta cells that make insulin. To survive, people with type 1 diabetes must have insulin delivered by injection or a pump. This form of diabetes usually strikes children and young adults and accounts for 5% to 10% of all diagnosed cases. Type 2 diabetes was previously called non–insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes and is the most common form, accounting for about 90% to 95% of all cases. It usually begins as insulin resistance when the pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce and use insulin. Type 2 diabetes is associated with older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose metabolism, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity. African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, and some Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders are at particularly high risk for type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a form of glucose intolerance diagnosed in some women during pregnancy. It also occurs more frequently among African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, and American Indians, and is more common among obese women and women with a family history of diabetes. During pregnancy, gestational diabetes requires treatment to normalize maternal blood glucose levels to avoid complications in the infant. After pregnancy women who have had gestational diabetes have a 20% to 50% chance of developing diabetes in the next 5–10 years. Other types of diabetes resulting from specific genetic conditions, surgery, drugs, malnutrition, infections, and other illnesses account for only 1% to 5% of all diagnosed cases.
7% of the population of the United States have diabetes. The American Diabetes Association estimates that 14.6 million Americans have been diagnosed, in addition to 6.2 million people who are unaware that they have the disease.
Diabetes in Arizona
In 2004 there were 279,964 people in Arizona, or 4.8% of the population, who have diabetes (Arizona Chronic Disease Report, December 2005).
