Diabetes Prevalence Rises By Over 100% in 18 States Between 1995 and 2010

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a report tracking the skyrocketing prevalence of diabetes throughout all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Adjusting for age, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in these 52 geographic areas increased from a 1995 median of 4.5% to 8.2% in 2010. Whereas in 1995 only three states, DC, and Puerto Rico had a prevalence of over 6%, now all 52 are above 6%. In terms of the relative increase in diabetes prevalence, 42 states experienced jumps of over 50%, while diabetes increased by more than 100% in 18 states, with Oklahoma experiencing the greatest increase of 227%. The South had the highest median prevalence of any region at 9.8%, and it is home to most of the states with prevalence over 10%. It should be noted that the CDC does not distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes in these figures, but since type 2 accounts for well over 90% of all diabetes cases, these figures primarily speak to the increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes.

While these figures are certainly indicative of the significant increase in new diagnoses of diabetes since 1995, there is some small measure of optimism. As noted in the report, part of the reason why the prevalence of diabetes has increased so much is because people with diabetes now live significantly longer and healthier lives than they did in 1995 – indeed, the report notes that the mortality rate for people with diabetes dropped significantly between 1997 and 2006, at a rate much greater than that of people without diabetes. What’s more, the report points out that this increase in longevity has been accompanied by several improvements in the health of people with diabetes. –AW