44% of people with this scary disease don’t know they have it — here’s who is at greatest risk

You can’t sweet-talk your way out of this devastating disease.

A startling new study finds that an estimated 44% of people 15 and older with diabetes are unaware they have the chronic condition, which is characterized by sky-high blood sugar.

While Type 1 diabetes often begins in childhood, Type 2 diabetes usually develops later in adolescence or in adulthood. Poor diet, inactivity and obesity, which contribute to insulin resistance, are major risk factors for Type 2.

If left untreated, diabetes can lead to heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, eye problems and nerve damage.

“By 2050, 1.3 billion people are expected to be living with diabetes, and if nearly half don’t know they have a serious and potentially deadly health condition, it could easily become a silent epidemic,” said Lauryn Stafford, first author of the study and researcher at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Underdiagnosis was most common among young adults, even though they face higher risks for long-term complications.

The researchers determined that central sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest rates in diagnosis, with less than 20% of diabetics aware of their disease.

High-income North America has the highest rates of diagnosis.

Stafford’s team found that of all those who were diagnosed, 91% were taking meds to treat the condition.

But of this group, only 42% were managing their blood sugar levels well. Managing blood sugar is crucial to preventing long-term health complications.

The study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was published Monday in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

Early warning signs of diabetes

• Increased thirst
• Frequent urination
• Excessive hunger
• Unexplained weight loss
• Blurred vision
• Fatigue
• Slow-healing wounds or infections
• Numbness or tingling in hands or feet
• Dry mouth
• Skin tags or dark patches of skin
• Increased yeast infections

How to find out if you have diabetes

There are several ways to test for diabetes.

A fasting blood glucose exam measures blood sugar levels after fasting for at least eight hours.

In an oral glucose tolerance test, the patient drinks a sugary solution and then has their blood sugar checked after one and two hours.

And an A1C test reveals average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months.