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Information Kit - Facts and Figures
Facts and figures about
diabetes in Canada:
- approximately 2 million Canadians are estimated to have diabetes
- about a third of adults with diabetes are unaware that they have the condition
- diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in Canada
- it affects 1 in 20 Canadians
- 40% of Canadians with diabetes develop long-term complications
- diabetes and its complications account for 25,000 person years of life lost before age 75
- lack of physical activity and bad eating habits that lead to obesity, play a major role in the onset and progression of type 2 diabetes
The population groups at highest
risk of diabetes are:
Seniors - an estimated 12.6% of
Canadians aged 60+ have the
disease, compared to about 2.5%
of those aged 20 to 59.
Adults - an estimated 7.4% of
Canadians aged 40+ have the
disease.
Aboriginal people - type 2
diabetes rates are 3 to 5 times
higher in First Nations communities
than in the general population - an
estimated 25% of individuals in
First Nations communities
on-reserve who are over the age
of 45 have diabetes.
- an estimated 90% of all cases of diabetes in Canada are of type 2, and 10% of cases are of type 1
- there is presently no known means of preventing type 1 diabetes, however the complications of type 1 diabetes can be prevented or delayed
- type 2 diabetes as well as its complications can be prevented or delayed through good nutrition and active lifestyle
- health care costs for diabetes and its complications are estimated to be up to $9 billion a year
- the human toll includes reduced life expectancy, increased stress on individuals/families, increases in work and school absences and, when complications develop, career disruption and personal hardship
- if present trends continue, type 2 diabetes will increase in Canada due to the aging of our population and rising obesity rates
© Her Majesty the Queen in Right
of Canada, (2002)
ISBN 0-662-66544-9
Cat. No. H39-620/2002-2
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