Diabetes risk factors

Type 1 diabetes is found in chilhood and type 2 diabetes is found in adulthood. Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common due to the growing number of older Americans and an increasing trend toward obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. Without proper management of diabetes, long-term health risks such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure can occur.

Review Date: 08/01/2005
Reviewed By: Nikheel S. Kolatkar, MD, Clinical and Research Fellow, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.