A growing number of Americans are living with diabetes, and the prevalence of the condition increases with age. How can you manage your diabetes or reduce your risk of developing prediabetes? In a word: self-care. Proper nutrition, weight management, stress reduction, good sleep habits, and exercise all play a role in managing diabetes. Educating yourself on these topics and making appropriate lifestyle changes will set you on the right path. Take this quiz to see how much you know about diabetes, by the numbers.
Q
1. Type 2 diabetes does not affect children.
True/False
2. How many Americans have diabetes?
A. 45.0 million in 2017.
B. 35.5 million in 2016.
C. 34.2 million in 2018.
D. 40.2 million in 2017.
3. How prevalent is diabetes in American seniors age 65 and older?
A. 30.0% live with diabetes.
B. 26.8% live with diabetes.
C. 25.0% live with diabetes.
D. 28.5% live with diabetes.
4. Approximately how many of all diagnosed cases in adults does type 1 diabetes account for?
A. 1% to 2%
B. 10% to 15%
C. 3% to 5%
D. 5% to 10%
5. More than 84 million American adults age 18 years or older (nearly 34% of adults) have prediabetes.
True/False
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A
1. False. Previously known as adult-onset diabetes, type 2 diabetes (a condition characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and insufficient insulin production) is affecting children more frequently. Per statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the United States, approximately 210,000 children and adolescents under the age of 20 had diagnosed diabetes in 2018, including roughly 23,000 with type 2. According to that data, 5,758 children and adolescents 10 to 19 years of age were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes that year.
2. C. If you’re living with diabetes, you are not alone. According to the American Diabetes Association, 34.2 million Americans, or 10.5% of the population, had diabetes in 2018. Of this number, nearly 1.6 million Americans have type 1 diabetes, including about 187,000 children and adolescents. Of the 34.2 million adults with diabetes, an estimated 7.3 million were undiagnosed. According to the CDC, one in five Americans who have diabetes don’t know they are living with the condition.
3. B. Diabetes rates increase with age. The American Diabetes Association says the percentage of Americans age 65 and older living with diabetes “remains high, at 26.8%, or 14.3 million seniors (both diagnosed and undiagnosed).”
4. D. Although once believed to be a children’s disease, and previously known as juvenile diabetes, type 1 diabetes can also be diagnosed in adults. According to the CDC, this condition accounts for approximately 5% to 10% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes in adults. In type 1 diabetes, the body makes little or no insulin due to an autoimmune attack on the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. Common symptoms include unusual thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, blurry vision and fatigue.
5. True. Prediabetes rates are high in the United States. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), an estimated 84.1 million American adults age 18 years or older have prediabetes. The NIDDK says, “Prediabetes is a condition in which blood glucose or A1C levels—which reflect average blood glucose levels—are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. People with prediabetes are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which can lead to heart attack or stroke.
Want to learn more about prediabetes? Read “How to Treat Prediabetes” and “Prediabetes: What to Know.”
