One of eight Indian-origin adults in the US has diabetes

Startling numbers from new report by the CDC.

By Deepak Chitnis

WASHINGTON, DC: A new report from the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says that over 29 million people in America are afflicted with some form of diabetes, and that Indian-origin adults have the highest rate of diabetes diagnosis of all ethnic minority groups in the country – 13%.

That Indians and Indian Americans are more predisposed to diabetes and blood and heart-related ailments is nothing particularly new, but to see a hard number put on it is startling. Thirteen percent means that roughly one out of every eight Indian-origin adults in the US has diabetes, with children and other young adults at high risk of developing the disease later in life, especially if it runs in the family.

In fact, around 86 million people in the US are at an elevated risk of suffering from diabetes later in life, and currently have symptoms and conditions associated with what the CDC calls “pre-diabetes.” What’s more, at least 25% of people who already have diabetes don’t even know they have it, and often don’t find out until the disease as developed into a significant form, or something drastic happens. For pre-diabetes, that figure is as high as 90%, meaning 9 out of 10 people with pre-diabetes don’t even know it.

The 29.1 million Americans currently suffering from diabetes constitutes 9% of the entire US population. Last year alone, the number of diabetes cases in people ages 20 or older rose by 1.7 million. Furthermore, the US currently has about 208,000 individuals under the age of 20 that are afflicted with diabetes.

Adults with diabetes are 50% more likely to die prematurely than those without, says the CDC report. But treating the disease is becoming more and more expensive, as the report says that healthcare costs for diabetes patients have doubled in recent years.

Back in 2007, total costs for diabetes treatment in the US was around $147 billion; in 2012, that number spiked to $245 billion, an increase of 67%.

The most common type of diabetes remains Type 2, which is what 90-95% of diabetes patients currently have. Type 2 diabetes is when the body cannot properly use insulin, and the CDC says around 33% of Americans will develop this condition at some point in their lives, looking at the rate things are currently moving in. The other type of diabetes, Type 1, is when the body cannot produce insulin itself, and only affects about 5% of diabetes patients.

So what does the CDC advise? Healthy eating, plenty of exercise, keeping your weight low, and regularly visiting your doctor.