"Diabetes is a major public health problem that takes a serious human and economic toll," said Secretary of Health Everette James. "Pennsylvania is proud to join communities worldwide to recognize the serious impact of diabetes and raise awareness of the steps that many people can take to prevent the disease."

Diabetes is a lifelong disease that occurs when a person's pancreas does not produce or stops producing insulin (Type 1 diabetes), or is not producing enough insulin and/or the body cannot use it (Type 2 diabetes). Pregnant women may also develop gestational diabetes, which may put them at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes after pregnancy.

Although the causes of diabetes are not certain, genetics and lifestyle factors, such as obesity and lack of physical activity, are related to its development. For those who already have the disease, it is very important to properly manage the disease and prevent complications by maintaining a healthy weight, getting adequate physical activity, and regularly visiting your doctor.

Diabetes increases an individual's risk for additional health complications and other chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Individuals with diabetes are at greater risk for kidney disease, dental disease, nervous system damage, blindness and lower extremity amputations.

Nationwide, 23.6 million people, or 7.8 percent of the population, have diabetes, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pennsylvania has approximately 872,000 adults diagnosed with diabetes, or 9 percent of the state's population.

Statistics show the number of diabetes cases has increased by 90 percent nationally over the past decade and that has had a significant impact on our health system and its costs. The American Diabetes Association says direct costs and productivity losses associated with diabetes amounted to $174 billion in 2007.

World Diabetes Day was created by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization in 1991, in response to the escalating incidence of diabetes around the world. The World Diabetes Day theme is based on education and prevention. The campaign calls on all those impacted by diabetes to understand the disease and take control.

To find out if you or a loved one is at risk for diabetes, take the American Diabetes Association at risk test at www.diabetes.org/risktest.

For more information, visit www.health.state.pa.us/diabetes or call 1-877-PA HEALTH.

Media contact: Stacy Kriedeman, 717-787-1783

Source: Pennsylvania Department of Health