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11 facts about diabetes

1. Type 1 diabetes strikes children suddenly
2. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in childhood and adolescence, but it can develop in adults
3. Up to 3 million Americans may have type 1 diabetes
4. Every day 200 children develop type 1 diabetes – that’s 70,000 children a year
5. Extreme thirst, frequent urination, drowsiness, vision changes, heavy breathing, or unconsciousness are all symptoms of juvenile diabetes
6. More than 15,000 American children are diagnosed with all types of diabetes each year – that’s 40 kids a day
7. Long term symptoms of diabetes could include: kidney failure, nerve damage, heart attack, and stroke
8. People with Juvenile Diabetes must take insulin injections daily or continually get insulin through a pump (like Nick!)
9. Insulin, used to control their blood sugar, was discovered more than 85 years ago and is a proven method of diabetes management. Unfortunately, children in many parts of the world still die because this essential drug is not available to them.
10. Diabetes hits the poorest hardest. In Zambia, a child with type 1 diabetes can expect to live an average of 11 years. In Mali, the same child can expect to live only 30 months. And in Mozambique, the child is likely to die within a year
11. As rates of childhood obesity have risen sharply, so have the rates of type 2 diabetes among children. From 2005 to 2008, type 2 diabetes doubled in American children.

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