WOMEN & DIABETES FACTS

Diabetes is a serious public health issue affecting an estimated 9.7 million women.  Because of the increasing lifespan of women and the rapid growth of minority populations – among whom diabetes prevalence is two to four times higher than among white women – the number of women in the United States at high risk for diabetes and its complications is increasing. 
 
Women are often the gatekeepers for healthcare-related decisions for their entire family and have the ability to positively impact the well-being of their families by encouraging healthier lifestyle choices. 
 
This is incredibly important for people living with diabetes or for families with a history of diabetes who can incorporate healthier habits to reduce the risk of developing serious diabetes-related complications, such as blindness, heart and blood vessel disease, stroke, kidney failure, amputations, and nerve damage.  
 
The burden of diabetes on a woman’s health puts her at a higher risk for certain complications as compared to men.  
 
Women in minority racial and ethnic groups are the hardest hit by type 2 diabetes.  The prevalence is about two to four times higher among African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, and Asian/Pacific Islander women than among non-Hispanic white women.  (Source: CDC) 
 
Women with diabetes are at increased risk of developing heart disease, the leading complication of diabetes, as compared with men with diabetes and as compared with women who do not suffer from diabetes.  (Source: CDC) 
 
 Diabetes can affect both mothers and their unborn children.  For women who do not currently have diabetes, pregnancy brings the risk of gestational diabetes.  Gestational diabetes develops in two percent to five percent of all pregnancies, but disappears when a pregnancy is over. (Source: ADA) 
 
Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States, and among the top ten leading causes of death among women. (Source: CDC, ADA)