Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases, affecting approximately 1 in 9 people worldwide.
But 44% of people ages 15 and older who have diabetes don't realize they have it, according to a new study.
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The research, published Monday in The Lancet, used data from a study that looked at gaps in diabetes care in 204 countries between 2000 and 2023. The Lancet study found that despite advances in the past 20 years, diabetes is still significantly underdiagnosed and undertreated.
"These findings highlight the urgent need for enhanced strategies … to improve the detection, treatment, and management of diabetes worldwide," the researchers wrote.
Type 2 diabetes, characterized by insulin resistance, makes up 90% of diagnosed diabetes cases worldwide, according to the International Diabetes Foundation. Diagnosing it is key to helping maintain a healthy blood sugar range and preventing complications from the disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. Type 2 diabetes can be managed through lifestyle changes or medication.
About 38 million Americans – 11.6% of the population – were living with diabetes in 2021. Of that group, 8.7 million people 18 and older were undiagnosed, according to the most recent statistics of the American Diabetes Association.
People living with undiagnosed diabetes represent 3.4% of U.S. adults and 22.8% of adults with diabetes, according to 2021 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Between 90 and 95% of Americans with diabetes have type 2, according to the CDC.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body is unable to effectively process insulin, causing sugar to build up in the blood. Unmanaged, it can lead to heart and blood vessel disease, nerve damage, kidney disease and eye damage, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Although type 2 diabetes used to be called adult-onset diabetes and is more common in older people, it is spiking among children due to rising obesity rates and lack of physical activity in young people, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Part of the reason why so many people do not know they have type 2 diabetes is because the symptoms can advance slowly.
Signs to look for include increased thirst, hunger and urination. Other signs are weight loss, fatigue, blurred vision, frequent infections, slow-healing sores, numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, and areas of darkened skin that often appear in the armpits or neck, according to theMayo Clinic.
Type 1 diabetes, which is much rarer, is an autoimmune disease that causes the pancreas to destroy cells that produce insulin. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes are similar to those for type 2 and also may include bed wetting in children and feeling irritable or having other mood changes, according to the Mayo Clinic.