It's hard to know for sure just how many Americans are diabetic – that's because millions of us don't know that we are. Various sources suggest anywhere from 22 to 26 million Americans have diabetes. The National Diabetes Education Program pegs the number at just shy of 26 million diabetics; 15.8 million who have been diagnosed, an estimated 7 million who haven't. That's more than 8 percent of the population.
Here in Texas, the percentages are even higher. The Texas Department of State Health Services' most recent report, suggests nearly 10 percent of adults in Texas have diabetes.
And then there's "pre-diabetes" – twice as many more people are at risk for developing the disease. And more and more, those at risk are younger and younger. The American Diabetes Association estimates one in three kids born after the year 2000 will develop diabetes in his or her lifetime.
We discuss the latest research and treatment taking place here in Houston related to diabetes. We welcome your questions for an endocrinologist with the Harris Health System and UT Health Science Center at Houston, and a researcher at Baylor College of Medicine.
