TODAY'S STATS & TOMORROW'S TREATMENTS
TOP 3 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
1
The causes and cures for Type 1 diabetes are not known - yet.
DIABETES IN ILLINOIS & the U.S.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, diabetes is a serious chronic disease that poses a major health problem.
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Nearly 30.3 million people in the United States (9.4% of the population) have diabetes. About one-third of these people do not know they have diabetes.
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Each year, 1.5 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed.
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In Illinois, approximately 1.3 million (12.5% of the population) adults have diabetes, but roughly 341,000 of those don’t know they have diabetes.
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It is estimated that 84 million Americans have prediabetes, of which 3.6 million live in Illinois. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death nationally and in Illinois.
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Individuals with diabetes are at an increased risk for heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, dental disease, and lower extremity amputations (not related to injuries). Diabetes and its complications occur among ALL age, racial, and ethnic groups.
Type 1 diabetes means someone's body doesn't produce enough insulin to process the sugar in their blood. If someone has Type 1 diabetes, they were likely born with it.
2
Type 2 diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the world.
Type 2 diabetes also means the body can't process sugar due to lack of insulin, but this insulin deficiency developed later in life. Like Type 1 diabetes, this condition is treatable, but unlike Type 1, it is preventable with healthy lifestyle habits. It is more common than Type 1.
3
People with diabetes can live fun & healthy lives!
If diabetes is detected early and managed properly, people with Type 1 or Type 2 can still do everything they love to do! They just need to manage their blood glucose carefully through diet, exercise, and medication if needed, as well as regular screening checkups.
MORE INFO + LATEST RESEARCH
A team of researchers led by Harvard University scientists has improved the laboratory process of converting stem cells into insulin-producing beta cells.Their findings may be used to improve beta cell transplants for patients with Type 1 diabetes.
Click the title to learn more!
3,591,000 people in Illinois, 37.5 percent of the adult population, have prediabetes: blood glucose levels higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
Check out the link above to learn about the warning signs & preventative measures!
Both of Doug Melton’s children developed type 1 diabetes as infants. His wife became their "pancreas," figuring out when each one’s blood sugar was too high, and they needed insulin or too low, and they needed food. Melton decided his own contribution would be to cure type 1 diabetes. He retooled his lab and set to work. Click the link above to hear the full story on WBUR's Commonhealth Podcast!
Currently, people with type 1 diabetes and advanced type 2 diabetes rely on painful finger pricks and regular insulin shots – often multiple times a day – to manage their blood glucose levels. But Dr. Zhen Gu is breaking ground on a "smart insulin" patch that could change that.
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One woman with severe type 1 diabetes has spent a year without insulin injections thanks to an experimental transplant. Doctors implanted insulin-producing cells into a fatty membrane in the stomach cavity, and the success of the operation is paving the way towards more people receiving artificial pancreases. Click the title to learn more!
Many people are at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, but don't even know it. The key is identifying symptoms of "prediabetes" and making important lifestyle changes before the condition advances. Click the link above for a simple quiz to point you in the right direction!