Has the number of persons with diabetes changed since the Diabetes Statistics Fact Sheet issued in 1995?
Between the 1995 and 1997 fact sheets, the number of persons with diagnosed diabetes increased from 8 million to 10.3 million, but the number of persons with undiagnosed diabetes decreased. For the 1995 Diabetes Statistics Fact Sheet, the number of persons with undiagnosed diabetes was estimated from research using the oral glucose tolerance test to identify undiagnosed diabetes. In contrast, for the present Diabetes Statistics Fact Sheet, the number of persons with undiagnosed diabetes was estimated from research using the fasting plasma glucose test, according to recently enacted recommendations. These tests are not equivalent, however, and fewer cases of undiagnosed diabetes are identified using the fasting plasma glucose test. An enhanced national effort to identify previously undiagnosed persons may also have contributed to a decrease in the number of persons with undiagnosed diabetes. Continued efforts to identify persons with undiagnosed diabetes, the implementation of new guide
