It’s recently been found that an American is diagnose with diabetes every 17 seconds. But it’s not
just the USA. Diabetes is one of the fastest growing chronic diseases in the world. In 1980, 108
million people worldwide had diabetes. By 2014, that number had risen to 422 million. Of this about
11% of the US population or 34 Million Americans have diabetes.
What are the most common types of Diabetes?
You may have heard of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, but you may not know the differences
between them. Type 1 is a genetic condition that a person often gets early in life, whilst Type 2
typically comes about over time and is primarily lifestyle related.
There is also gestational diabetes that only occurs in pregnant women and usually goes away after
birth.
Who Does Diabetes Affect?
Though diabetes does not discriminate between men and women, statistically, it occurs more
frequently in certain races and ethnicities within the United States. This could be due to many
different environmental factors, including a long history of discrimination and unequal access to
education and healthcare. For example, minorities are more likely to live in “food deserts,” where
healthy food options are not available. They are also more likely to have jobs that are physically
demanding and do not offer health insurance or other benefits. These factors can contribute to a
higher risk of developing diabetes.
In addition, minorities are often underrepresented in research studies, making it difficult to develop
targeted prevention and treatment methods. This is why diversity in clinical trials is so important and
why HealthHQ is partnering with Goodlab to create a more inclusive environment for clinical
research.