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In 2017, there were approximately 231,984 adult Iowans with diabetes. Across the U.S., more than 30 million adults have diabetes, and one in four of them don't know they have it. $245 billion is the total costs for people diagnosed with diabetes. Annually, a person with diabetes acquires medical costs of about $13,700.
Diabetes is the number one cause of kidney failure, lower-limb amputations, and adult-onset blindness. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.
- Overall diabetes rates in Iowa have been consistently between 8.8%-9.7% of the adult Iowan population over the last 7 years. This rate is slightly less than the U.S. median for diabetes prevalence
- Age, income and education have been shown to have an influence on diabetes rates
- Type 2 diabetes risk tends to increase with age, with much higher rates being documented in adults over 55 years than in younger age groups. Diabetes rates are also higher in adults with lower income and lower educational attainment. For nearly half of all Iowan adults with diabetes, age of diagnosis is between 44-60 years
- Some racial and ethnic minority groups are more likely to have undiagnosed and diagnosed diabetes than non-Hispanic whites. Recent data shows diabetes rates in individuals who identify as black/non-Hispanic have increased in recent years
Diabetes Prevalence Data Visualization
Measure Description:
- The percent of BRFSS respondents who answered yes to the question: (Ever told) you have diabetes?
Diabetes Screening Data Visualization
Measure Description:
- The percentage of BRFSS respondents who answered yes to the question: Have you had a test for high blood sugar or diabetes within the past three years?