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African-American adults are 4 times more likely than Hispanics and Whites combined, to die from diabetes. Diabetes statistics continue to increase every year making it one of the top ten leading cases of death in the nation.

Over 20 percent of people under the age of twenty have been diagnosed with diabetes; 1 in every 500 children has diabetes, nearly 200,000 children overall.

Diabetes is a polygenic disease characterized by abnormally high glucose levels in the blood. Anyone, anywhere, at any age can develop diabetes before his or her symptoms are recognized and diagnosed.  A person is diagnosed with diabetes when their body no longer uses insulin properly or doesn’t produce insulin at all. Insulin is produced by the pancreas and is needed to properly send glucose into all the cells of the body and turn them into energy. The risk of developing diabetes can increase, as a person gets older. This is because the pancreas slows down on the production of insulin. People that are obese have the highest rate of inheriting diabetes.

People dealing with diabetes are usually stressed out. Their diets become much more strict, they are recommended to exercise daily and they have to maintain their glucose levels. Daily insulin shots or pills can also add to the stress. It is crucial for diabetics to keep up with their doctor visits and follow instructions that they’re given. Diabetics are able to live happy and normal lives if they take good care of themselves.

Over 130 billion dollars are spent each year on the disease.

There is no one specific reason for the development of diabetes. There are numerous reasons. A common misconception of the development of diabetes is that it develops from eating sweets or the wrong kinds of foods. This leads to obesity, not diabetes but is associated with the development of diabetes. Heredity plays a big part in whether a person will or will not develop diabetes. Other causes may be an infection with a specific virus or bacteria, exposure to food-borne chemical toxins or exposure to cows milk at an infant age.

There are two types of diabetes, type one and type two. With type one diabetes, the cells in the pancreas that make insulin are destroyed, causing a severe lack of insulin. This results in the body attacking and destroying its own cells in the pancreas. This is called an auto immune reaction. Type two diabetes is believed to develop when the receptors in the body that normally respond to the action of the insulin fail to be stimulated by it. This is called insulin resistance. If a person does have insulin available it is likely abnormal. Increasing age, obesity and physical inactivity are also causes of type two diabetes. More rare cases of diabetes are caused by certain medicines, pregnancy—known as gestational diabetes and any illness that damage the pancreas.

People with type one or type two diabetes are at a much higher risk than the rest of the population for damage to their eyes, kidneys, nerves and blood vessels. Many of those side effects can be delayed or avoided through careful blood sugar control. In people with diabetes, sugar also known as glucose, accumulates in the blood to very high levels. The excess glucose can attach to proteins in the blood vessels and alter their normal structure and function. The vessels become thicker and less elastic, making it difficult for blood to squeeze through. Having diabetes can lead to the numbness of limbs and probable amputation.

Over 20,0000 are blinded by diabetes and almost 100,000 people suffer from lower limb extremity amputations each year.

People with diabetes are prone to infections. Neuropathy affects the nerves that control the amount of sweating. The lack of blood flow can cause changes in skin texture and elevated blood sugars can slow down the immune system leading a person to catch fungal infections that can appear to be dry skin.

Diabetes can be a dangerous disease if a person does not manage their weight and glucose levels.  But diabetics can live a normal and fulfilling life.