In Canada, over two million people have diabetes and that number is expected to reach three million by 2010. Approximately 10% of people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.

It is a global epidemic: An estimated 246 million people worldwide are affected by diabetes. With a further 7 million people developing diabetes each year, that number is expected to hit 380 million by 2025.

THREE MAIN TYPES

Type 1 Diabetes
Usually diagnosed in children and adolescents, occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that ensures body energy needs are met. Approximately 10 per cent of people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes
The remaining 90 per cent have type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body does not effectively use the insulin that is produced. Type 2 diabetes usually develops in adulthood, although increasing numbers of children in high-risk populations are being diagnosed.

Gestational Diabetes
A third type of diabetes, gestational diabetes, is a temporary condition that occurs during pregnancy. It affects approximately 3.7 per cent of all pregnancies (in the non-Aboriginal population) and 8 - 18 per cent of all pregnancies (in the Aboriginal population), and involves an increased risk of developing diabetes for both mother and child.

If left untreated or improperly managed, diabetes can result in a variety of complications, including:

Heart disease
Kidney disease
Eye disease
Problems with erection (impotence)
Nerve damage

The changing face of diabetes in Canada
Based on a U.S. study, a North American child born in 2000 stands a one in three chance of being diagnosed with diabetes in his or her lifetime. In Canada, over two million people have diabetes and that number is expected to reach three million by 2010. Approximately 10% of people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.

The number of people with type 2 diabetes is increasing dramatically due to a number of factors:
The population is aging
Obesity rates are rising
Canadian lifestyles are increasingly sedentary
Aboriginal people are three to five times more likely than the general population to develop type 2 diabetes

Almost 80% of new Canadians come from populations that are at higher risk for type 2 diabetes. These include people of Hispanic, Asian, South Asian or African descent. More than 2 million Canadians have diabetes.