Diabetes
Understanding Diabetes
An introduction to the main types of diabetes and how diagnosed diabetes is measured in surveys.
Beginner explanation
Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) condition in which blood glucose — blood sugar — is too high. The body breaks most food down into glucose, and a hormone called insulin, made by the pancreas, acts like a key that lets glucose into cells to be used for energy.[1, 2]
With diabetes, the body does not make enough insulin, or cannot use it as well as it should. Glucose then stays in the blood instead of reaching cells. Over time, high blood glucose can damage the heart, kidneys, nerves, feet and eyes.[1, 2]
There is no cure yet, but diabetes can be managed, and the most common type can often be prevented or delayed.[1]
Key definitions
- Insulin
- A hormone made by the pancreas that helps glucose get into cells.
- Type 1 diabetes
- The body makes little or no insulin, thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction. People with type 1 need insulin every day.
- Type 2 diabetes
- The body does not use insulin well and cannot keep blood glucose in the normal range. It is the most common type — about 90% to 95% of diagnosed cases.
- Gestational diabetes
- Diabetes that develops during pregnancy. It usually goes away after birth but raises the later risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Prediabetes
- Blood glucose that is higher than normal but not high enough for a type 2 diagnosis.
Condition characteristics
Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, though it can appear at any age. Its symptoms can come on suddenly, over weeks or months, and can be severe.[1, 2]
Type 2 diabetes develops over many years and is usually diagnosed in adults, although more children, teens and young adults are now being diagnosed. Many people notice no symptoms, which is why blood-sugar testing matters for people at risk.[1]
CDC lists diabetes as the No. 1 cause of kidney failure, lower-limb amputations and adult blindness, and the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.[1]
Risk factors
For type 1 diabetes, known risk factors include having a parent, brother or sister with type 1 diabetes, and younger age. No one yet knows how to prevent it.[3]
For type 2 diabetes, CDC lists:[3]
- Having prediabetes
- Having overweight or obesity
- Being 45 or older
- Having a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes
- Being physically active less than 3 times a week
- Having non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Having had gestational diabetes, or a baby who weighed over 9 pounds
- Being African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native; some Pacific Islander and Asian American people are also at higher risk
Source[3]
Prevention and public health context
Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes can often be prevented or delayed with lifestyle changes: losing weight if overweight, eating a healthy diet and getting regular physical activity. People with prediabetes may be eligible for the National Diabetes Prevention Program’s lifestyle change program.[1, 3]
For people who have diabetes, managing blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol, taking medicine as prescribed, and getting diabetes self-management education and support help prevent complications.[1, 2]
CDC’s National Diabetes Statistics Report estimates that 40.1 million people in the United States (12.0%) had diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes in 2023, and that 27.6% of adults with diabetes were undiagnosed.[4]
Texas data context
The PLACES diagnosed diabetes measure on MedEquity estimates the share of adults who report being told by a doctor or other health professional that they have diabetes, other than diabetes only during pregnancy. It is modeled from survey and Census data and covers all types of diagnosed diabetes.[5]
Because it counts only diagnosed diabetes, it misses the substantial share of people who have diabetes but have not been diagnosed. CDC also advises that PLACES estimates cannot be used to track change over time in a county.[4, 6]
Related measures on the Explore map
- Diagnosed diabetes among adults (modeled estimate)
Advanced material (optional)
Less common forms include monogenic diabetes, caused by a change in a single gene, and diabetes resulting from damage to or removal of the pancreas, for example from cystic fibrosis or pancreatitis.[2]
The PLACES diagnosed diabetes measure counts adults told they have diabetes of any type (other than only during pregnancy), and type 2 makes up about 90% to 95% of diagnosed cases.[1, 5]
MedEquity note: Population patterns in diagnosed diabetes therefore mostly reflect type 2 diabetes.
References
- Diabetes Basics. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/about/index.html (accessed 2026-10-18).
- What Is Diabetes?. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH). https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes (accessed 2026-10-18).
- Diabetes Risk Factors. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/risk-factors/index.html (accessed 2026-10-18).
- National Diabetes Statistics Report. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/php/data-research/index.html (accessed 2026-10-18).
- PLACES Measure Definitions: Health Outcomes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/places/measure-definitions/health-outcomes.html (accessed 2026-10-18).
- PLACES: Frequently Asked Questions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/places/faqs/index.html (accessed 2026-10-18).