One in Four Americans Have Diabetes and Don't Know It

News provided by

American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)

Nov 25, 2014, 10:14 ET

WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Diabetes is a growing problem in the United States and it is currently the 7^th leading cause of death in the country. Alarmingly, a significant part of the U.S. population doesn't even know that the disease is directly affecting them. The nation's emergency physicians need people to be aware of it, especially as we head into the holiday season as millions indulge in excessive eating and the drinking of alcohol. This could make an already existing problem worse.

"Diabetes causes patient complications that we see in emergency departments every day such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and a variety of other problems," said Dr. Michael Gerardi, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). "With a good diet and exercise, most cases of type 2 diabetes can be prevented or reversed. If you know you have it and work closely with a doctor, you can control it."

Diabetes is a disease in which the body cannot produce any or enough insulin. It causes elevated levels of glucose in the blood. There are several types of diabetes including Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational diabetes. For more information on diabetes from the CDC, click here.

More than 29 million Americans have diabetes, according to the CDC. That is more than nine percent of the U.S. population.
More than eight million of those people are undiagnosed which is one out of every four Americans.
Diabetes can develop at any age. About 208,000 Americans under age 20 have been diagnosed each year, according to the American Diabetes Association.
Nine out of 10 people in the United States with pre-diabetes do not know they have it.
According to the CDC, 15 to 30 percent of people with pre-diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within five years.
The risk of death for adults with diabetes is 50 percent higher than for adults without the disease.

Regular exercise, weight loss and a healthy diet is the most effective way to prevent diabetes. It's important to limit sweets and carbohydrates. That includes sugary drinks like soda Also, a person should limit the amount of red meat they eat and quit smoking. Smokers are 50 percent more likely to develop diabetes than nonsmokers.

Once you are diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, it is unlikely it will ever go away because there is no cure for it. ACEP encourages everyone to meet with a doctor regularly and to have an annual physical.

"Decisions you make or choose not to make now will ultimately affect the rest of your life," said Dr. Gerardi. "Just by eating healthy and becoming more active, you can cut your risk of diabetes by half."

ACEP is a national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine. ACEP is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies.

http://www.emergencycareforyou.org

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SOURCE American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)