Diabetes: rising rates, disability and death.

A "thrifty gene" may put some groups at risk for type 2 diabetes. More than 20.8 million Americans—7 percent of the population—have diabetes. The number continues to grow, driven mostly by an upsurge in obesity. From 1994 to 2004, diagnosed diabetes rose at least 50 percent in 23 states. In addition, an estimated 54 million U.S. adults have prediabetes—an elevated blood sugar level that is not high enough to be classified as diabetes—which greatly raises their risk of developing type 2 diabetes and its complications. Of Americans with diabetes, about 6.2 million are unaware that they have the disease; thus, many fail to take steps to prevent complications.