Background Information

• Treatment of diabetes is a critical concern of modern medicine in the US.
• According to the National Institutes for Health, in 2005, over 20% of Americans over the age of 60 had diabetes; and over 10% of Americans between 40 and 59 had diabetes.
• The number of new diagnoses of diabetes in 2005 was over 100,000.
• Diabetes is the 6th largest cause of death in the US.
• Diabetes is underreported as a cause of death due to the numerous complications of diabetes that lead to death.
• The risk of death among people with diabetes is about twice that of people without diabetes of similar age.
• Adults with diabetes have death rates due to heart disease about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes, and the risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher among people with diabetes.
• This (and more) information is available at National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse