The National Kidney Foundation of Michigan (NKFM) is proud to recognize November as National Diabetes Month. Diabetes is one of the leading causes of kidney disease, with nearly 1 in 3 adults with diabetes at risk of developing kidney damage. This month, we’re dedicated to raising awareness, educating the public, and providing resources to prevent and manage diabetes.
Whether you’re at risk of diabetes or managing the condition, early detection and proper care are key to living a healthy life. We encourage everyone to take proactive steps to learn their risk factors and make lifestyle changes that can prevent diabetes and its complications. From diet and exercise to monitoring blood sugar levels, small changes can make a big difference.
Visit our Diabetes page to learn more about risk factors, prevention tips, and management resources. Together, we can fight diabetes and protect kidney health.
Quick Links
Click LEARN MORE in the boxes below for more information on Diabetes Month!
Programs
Diabetes Prevention Program
If you’re at risk of type 2 diabetes, the DPP's small group setting, along with a trained and passionate coach, helps you make sustained, healthy lifestyle changes.
PATH
PATH helps people better manage their long-term health conditions by learning strategies to deal with pain, fatigue, difficult emotions, and more.
Resources
The NKFM would love you to share the celebration of World Diabetes Day and National Diabetes Month with your friends and family. Please feel free to use any of the infographics or messages on your social media channels and don’t forget to tag @KidneyMI or use the hashtags: #DiabetesMonth, #WDD, or #WorldDiabetesDay.
NKFM Resources:
NKFM Social Media Accounts:
Facebook: facebook.com/KidneyMI
YouTube: youtube.com/KidneyMI
Instagram: instagram.com/KidneyMI
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/kidneymi
Facts
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which the body is either no longer making a hormone called insulin or the insulin that is made is not working as it should. Either way, high amounts of glucose (a form of sugar) build in the bloodstream and cause problems from damage to the eyes, kidneys, blood vessels, and nerves. For this reason, diabetes is the primary cause of new cases of adult blindness, kidney failure, and non-traumatic lower-limb amputation. Over a million Michigan adults have diabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure.
Risk Factors
- Lack of exercise
- Overweight/Obesity
- Family history of type 2 diabetes
- Unhealthy eating
- History of gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy)
- Race/Ethnicity – African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, and some Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are at particularly high risk for type 2 diabetes.
Michigan
- Approximately 964,964 people in Michigan, or 12.2% of the adult population, have diagnosed diabetes.
- An additional 239,000 people in Michigan have diabetes but don’t know it, greatly increasing their health risk.
- There are 2,701,000 people in Michigan, 34.7% of the adult population, who have prediabetes with blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
- In 2023, diabetes was ranked the seventh leading cause of death in Michigan.
- Every year an estimated 59,201 people in Michigan are diagnosed with diabetes.
- Diabetes causes 44% of kidney failure cases in Michigan.
- 70% of kidney failure caused by diabetes and/or high blood pressure could have been prevented or delayed.
- Diagnosed diabetes costs an estimated $9.7 billion Michigan each year. The serious complications include heart disease, stroke, amputation, end-stage kidney disease, blindness—and death.
Nationwide
- 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes each year.
- Approximately 30 million children and adults have diabetes in the United States. Out of that number, nearly 95% have type 2 diabetes.
- An estimated 1 in 11 Americans have diabetes.
- One in three kids born in 2000 will develop diabetes.
- African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans are at increased risk for developing chronic kidney disease from diabetes, therefore good blood sugar control and overall diabetes management is extremely important.
