Basics About Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases sharing the common characteristic of high blood sugar levels. Diabetes happens when the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin or when the insulin that is produced in the pancreas cannot work adequately. When diabetes is not well controlled, it can cause serious complications and premature death.

The continued rise in the number of people with diabetes in the United States is alarming. Nearly 21 million Americans have diabetes; most of them type 2. This represents about 7 percent of the population and more than 6 million of these people do not know they have the condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC also reports that another 41 million people are estimated to have pre-diabetes, a condition that is developed before type 2 diabetes.