1. What is diabetes- slide
Diabetes is so common that more than likely you know someone with diabetes. That someone could
be a family member, a friend, or an acquaintance.
Objectives- slide
By the end of this learning unit, you will be able to define diabetes disease, identify the 2 different
types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2; describe the common symptoms of each type; and the impact
of the healthcare cost in caring for people with diabetes.
Diabetes epidemic-slide
Diabetes is an epidemic and continues to rise in the US and the world. The word “epidemic”
describes a serious concern about the spreading of the disease. The CDC (Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention) predicts that if diabetes continues to grow at this rate, 1 out of 3
Americans will develop diabetes at some point in their lives. In a few minutes you will gain
knowledge about this epidemic including who are at risk of diabetes and why diabetes is a serious
concern for everyone.
National Diabetes Fact sheet, 2011 slide.
According to the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet from CDC, 25.8 million of the US population
have diabetes or 8.3%, 18.8 million people are diagnosed, and 7.0 million people are not diagnosed.
This means 7.0 million people may not be aware they have diabetes. Furthermore, there are 79
million people have prediabetes. People with prediabetes are not fully diabetics; therefore, their
diabetes can be prevented or delayed if intervened early. Approximately 215,000 young people
(under the age of 20) had diabetes in 2010. During 2002-2005, approximately 3,600 young people
each year were newly diagnosed with diabetes.
National Diabetes Fact sheet, 2011 continued slide.
According to the CDC, Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the US and Diabetes is a major
cause for heart disease or stroke. Diabetes is also a leading cause for kidney failure, non-traumatic
lower-limb amputation, and new cases of blindness. Diabetes can shorten a lifespan by 10 to 15
years.
Break Down of diabetes -Slide
Type 2 comprises 90 to 95% of the total number of diabetes. They are typically in adults who are
overweight or obese status. In Type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or
the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy.
Unfortunately, Type 2 is a not a disease just for the elderly; children who are overweight also at risk
of having Type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 comprises 5 to 10%. They are typically in children and young adults. However, it can happen
at any age. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease which means the body attacks itself. Type 1
patients, their bodies do not make insulin; therefore, these patients need to inject insulin daily.
Center for Disease Control-slide
Center for disease control and prevention defines “Diabetes is a group of disease marked by high
levels of blood glucose, also called blood sugar, resulting from defect in insulin production, insulin
action, or both”

2. Previously called- slide
Learning about diabetes can be confusing because the names have changed over the years. Let’s
review and simplify the names.
Type 1 was known as IDDM (Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus) or juvenile diabetes.
Type 2 was known as NIDDM (Non-insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus) or adult onset diabetes
Misleading and Outdated Names -Slide
Diabetes is a serious disease and can be deadly. It’s important that healthcare providers use the
correct terms when diagnosing people with diabetes. The following terms may mislead and not
make light of this serious disease such as “borderline diabetes”. There is no such thing as
“borderline diabetes” it’s similar to “pregnancy”. There is no such thing as “borderline pregnant”.
You are either “pregnant” or “not pregnant” therefore, you either have diabetes or you don’t. Other
terms include “On the border”, “A touch of sugar”, and “A little high”. These terms can be
misinterpreted by patients. Although, diabetes is a serious disease with proper blood sugar control,
patients can manage the disease without serious complications and have a normal and productive
life.
Which ethnic groups are more at risk?- slide
Type 2 diabetes is most common with Native Americans, African American, Hispanic/Latino, and
Pacific Islander. It is also considered the disease of aging. The CDC indicates that 1 out of 5 adults
has diabetes. Whereas, Type 1 is more common with European American and Non-White
populations.
Cost of Diabetes Care-slide
The healthcare costs to care for diabetes affects everyone in the US. Here is the most updated data
from 2007. Direct Costs are medical care and services were 116 billion dollars. Indirect costs were
58 billion dollars which reflects the financial impact to disability, work loss, and pre-mature death.
The total costs were 174 billion dollars.
In other words- slide
In other words, people with diabetes have 2.3 times higher in medical expenses compared to people
without diabetes. In brief, everyone pays for diabetes.