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CDC: An estimated 1.9 million Americans diagnosed with diabetes in 2010

Number of Americans with diabetes rises to nearly 26 million.

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New estimates from the CDC reveal that 26 million Americans have diabetes and 79 million have prediabetes.

The number of people with diabetes continues to rise, and the new numbers are significantly higher than the CDC’s 2008 estimate of 23.6 million Americans, or 7.8% of the population having diabetes and 57 million having prediabetes.

“These distressing numbers show how important it is to prevent type 2 diabetes and to help those who have diabetes manage the disease to prevent serious complications such as kidney failure and blindness,” Ann Albright, PhD, RD, director of CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation, said in a press release. “We know that a structured lifestyle program that includes losing weight and increasing physical activity can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.”

According to the CDC’s National Diabetes Fact Sheet for 2011, diabetes now affects 8.3% of Americans of all ages, and 11.3% of adults aged 20 years and older. About 27% of those with diabetes — 7 million Americans — do not know they have the disease. Further, prediabetes affects 35% of adults older than 20 years.

The CDC said the 2011 estimates are increased for several reasons, including:

• More people developing diabetes.
• Many people are living longer with diabetes and practicing better disease management.
• Newer widespread use of HbA1c as a diagnostic tool has created estimates for 2011 that are not directly comparable to estimates in previous fact sheets.

The fact sheet also included data on diabetes in specific racial and ethnic minorities, who continue to have higher rates of diabetes after adjustment for population age differences. For adults, diabetes rates were 16.1% for American Indians/Alaska Natives; 12.6% for blacks; 11.8% for Hispanics; 8.4% for Asian-Americans; and 7.1% for non-Hispanic whites.

Other data on age show that half of elderly Americans aged 65 years and older have prediabetes and more than one-quarter have diabetes.

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