At-Risk Populations

Each year about 798,000 people are diagnosed with diabetes. Over 90 percent of the diabetes cases in the United States are diabetes mellitus type 2(DM2). This disease is becoming more and more common; the incidence of DM 2 in the United States has tripled since 1960. According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, an estimated 16 million people in the United States have diabetes mellitus, but, because mild diabetes often causes no outward symptoms for years, about half of them are unaware that they have the disease.

Diabetes mellitus type 1(DM 1) occurs more commonly in white Americans than among African or Asian-Americans, yet it is found equally among males and females. In addition, diabetes is one of the most common chronic disorders in children in the United States.

Although the exact mechanism of inheritance is not yet understood, there does appear to be a genetic component to the disease. Inherited characteristics alone are not sufficient to produce the disease without the influence of other environmental factors. However, nearly two of every three people with the disease come from a family with some history of diabetes.

Diabetes in African-Americans

Diabetes in American Indians and Alaska Natives

Diabetes in Asian and Pacific Islander Americans

Diabetes in Hispanic-Americans

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