Diabetes Now Affects More Than 23 Million U.S. Adults

The latest tally of Americans adults affected by diabetes finds more than 23 million struggle with the blood sugardisease.

Of those, the vast majority -- 21 million cases -- are caused by type 2 diabetes, which is often linked to overweight or obesity, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Another 1.3 million cases are attributed to type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disorder where the body fails to produce enough of the blood sugar hormone insulin.

The number of diabetes patients is now "nearly 10 percent of the entire [adult] population," noted Dr. Robert Courgi, a diabetes specialist at Northwell Health's Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, N.Y.

"As expected, the overwhelming majority is type 2 diabetes -- usually caused by obesity and treated with pills," added Courgi, who was not involved with the new report.

On the other hand, "type 1 diabetes results in a destruction of the pancreas, is difficult to diagnose and must be treated with insulin," Courgi said. "Type 1 must be recognized quickly and treated appropriately."