Diabetes is an equal opportunity chronic disease. It can occur in all stages of life, from infancy to the elderly, in people of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds. The most recent estimates from the National Institutes of Health put the number of Americans with diabetes at over 20 million. That includes over 5 million patients who don’t yet realize they have the disease.

There are three basic types of diabetes—type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes. Prediabetes, a precursor condition to type 2 that impacts over 40 million Americans, is also a diagnosed clinical condition that requires appropriate treatment to prevent progression.

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes accounts for between 5 and 10% of all diagnosed diabetes in the United States. Although type 1 diabetes develops most often in children and young adults (one in every 400-500 children has type 1 diabetes), the disease can be diagnosed at any age throughout the lifespan, and is equally distributed among males and females. Unlike type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetes is more common in Caucasians than in those of Hispanic, African-American, or other non-Caucasian backgrounds.

Learn more about type 1 diabetes causes and risk factors.

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is more common in those aged 50 and older, although it can occur in children and adolescents as well. Being overweight or obese and leading a sedentary (i.e., nonactive) lifestyle are major risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes, as is having a family history of the disease. People of African-American, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic, and Pacific Islander background are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

Learn more about type 2 diabetes causes and risk factors.

Prediabetes

Prediabetes, also called impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), is a precursor condition to type 2 diabetes characterized by higher than normal blood glucose levels and insulin resistance. The American Diabetes Association and National Institutes of Health estimate that over 40 million Americans have prediabetes, and only a fraction of these have been diagnosed with the condition.
The risk factors for prediabetes are the same as those for type 2 diabetes. Learn more about type 2 diabetes.

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes, or diabetes that occurs in pregnancy and resolves at birth, occurs in approximately three to eight pregnancies of every 100 in America. Risk factors for developing gestational diabetes include:

· A family history of diabetes
· Being overweight
· Having prediabetes
· Having given birth previously to a child weighing 9 pounds or more

In addition, the same populations at risk for type 2 diabetes—Hispanic Americans, African Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Asian Americans—are also at greater risk for gestational diabetes.

Learn more about gestational diabetes.