• There are 23.6 million children and adults in the United States, or 7.8% of the population, who have diabetes.
• While an estimated 17.9 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, unfortunately 5.7 million people (or nearly one quarter) are unaware that they have the disease.
• Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. There are 57 million Americans who have pre-diabetes, in addition to the 23.6 million with diabetes.
• Type 1 diabetes results from the body's failure to produce insulin, the hormone that "unlocks" the cells of the body, allowing glucose to enter and fuel them. It is estimated that 5-10% of Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.
• Type 2 diabetes results from insulin resistance (a condition in which the body fails to properly use insulin), combined with relative insulin deficiency. Most Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.
• Gestational diabetes occurs during or after pregnancy; 5% to 10% of women are found to have gestational diabetes, usually type 2.
• Diabetes is the fifth-deadliest disease in the United States; since 1987 the death rate due to diabetes has increased by 45%, while the death rates due to heart disease, stroke and cancer have declined.

SOURCE: American Diabetes Association