| Disease | General Population | Diabetic Population |
| Heart Disease | Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States | Diabetes is linked as one of the contributing causes of heart disease | Kidney Disease | Kidney disease is related to high blood pressure which contributes to kidney disease | Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease in the adult population |
| Stroke | Heart disease and stroke are linked together | Diabetes is recognized as a significant factor in heart disease leading to stroke |
| Cancer | Cancer is rising every day and is currently being linked to poor diet habits and stress which are factors in Diabetes | There is no direct link of Diabetes to Cancer but similar risk factors exist in both conditions. Like some forms of cancer, Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease. |
| Hypertension | Hypertension is linked more to hereditary issues. Black, Hispanics and Native Americans have a high incidence of Hypertension | This population also suffers from Type II diabetes in larger numbers that whites. |
| Blindness | Loss of vision increases significantly with age. | Diabetics are living longer due to earlier recognition and better control, but a large segment of the population will suffer some vision disturbance and Diabetes is leading cause of new cases of blindness in ages 24-70. |
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