Diagnosed diabetes grows at dramatic rate in US

The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes increased dramatically in most US states between 1995 and 2010, according to a report released Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During that time, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes increased by 50 percent or more in 42 states, and by 100 percent or more in 18 states. The report found states with the largest increases were Oklahoma (226 percent), Kentucky (158 percent), Georgia (145 percent), Alabama (140 percent), and Washington (135 percent). "Regionally, we saw the largest increase in diagnosed diabetes prevalence in the South, followed by the West, Midwest, and Northeast," said Linda Geiss, a statistician with the CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation and lead author of the report. "These data also reinforce findings from previous studies, which indicate that the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes is highest in the southern and Appalachian states." The study, which uses data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System -- an annual telephone survey of health behaviors and conditions of U.S. adults aged 18 and older -- found that the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in 2010 was 10 percent or more in six states and Puerto Rico. "In 1995 only three states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico had a diagnosed diabetes prevalence of six percent or more. By 2010, all 50 states had a prevalence of more than six percent," said Ann Albright, director of the CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation. "These rates will continue to increase until effective interventions and policies are implemented to prevent both diabetes and obesity." Type 2 diabetes, which may be prevented through lifestyle changes, accounts for 90 percent to 95 percent of all diabetes cases in the United States.