Information Kit - General Information

Some 2 million Canadians have diabetes and one-third of them are undiagnosed. Among First Nations people, the prevalence of diabetes is three to five times the national average. Diabetes is a serious disease that can lead to life-threatening complications.

About 90% of all diabetes cases in Canada are of the type 2 variety.

There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is more often diagnosed in younger people. Type 2 diabetes is often diagnosed after the age of 40. However, it may be diagnosed as early as age 10 in obese children. Older people, and those with a family history of the disease, also have a higher risk for developing diabetes. Gestational diabetes can occur during pregnancy.

Diabetes interferes with the body's ability to produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is essential for the proper use of the energy contained in the food we eat. This results in a series of malfunctions, which include an excess of a type of sugar, called glucose, in tests on the blood and urine. Over time, diabetes can lead to life-threatening and debilitating complications.

There is, as yet, no cure for diabetes. The disease can be managed and, in the case of type 2 diabetes, is preventable.

www.diabetes.gc.ca

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, (2002)

ISBN 0-662-66543-0
Cat. No. H39-620/2002-1