Living with Diabetes

Compared to the general population, African Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes:

• 4.9 million, or 18.7 percent of all African Americans aged 20 years or older have diabetes.
• African Americans are 1.8 times more likely to have diabetes as non Hispanic whites.

Diabetes is associated with an increased risk for a number of serious, sometimes life-threatening complications, and certain populations experience an even greater threat. Good diabetes management can help reduce your risk; however, many people are not even aware that they have diabetes until they develop one of its complications.

• Blindness
  African Americans are almost 50 percent as likely to develop diabetic retinopathy as non-Hispanic whites.
• Kidney Disease
  African Americans are 2.6 to 5.6 times as likely to suffer from kidney disease.
• Amputations
  African Americans are 2.7 times as likely to suffer from lower-limb amputations. 

Learn about the American Diabetes Association's African American Initiatives.