Diabetes is a Silent Killer

Many people first become aware that they have diabetes when they develop one of its life threatening complications.

BLINDNESS. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in people ages 25-74. Each year, from 15,000 to 39,000 people lose their sight because of diabetes.
KIDNEY DISF.ASE. Ten percent of all people with diabetes develop kidney disease. In 1990, more than l 3,000 people initiated treatment for end stage renal disease (kidney failure) because of diahetes.
AMPUTATIONS. Diabetes is the most frequent cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputations. The risk of a leg amputation is 27.7 times greater for a person with diabetes. Each year, 54,000 people lose their foot or leg to diabetes.
HEART DISEASE AND STROKE. People with diabetes are 2 to 4 times more likely to have heart disease (more than 77,000 deaths due to heart disease annually). And, they are 5 times more likely to suffer a stroke, with more than 11,000 deaths each year.