Diabetes: Know your Risk
Diabetes Risk Factors
About 90% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes; the signs may not be obvious, or there may be no signs at all.
Some people can live with it for might be up to 10 years before being diagnosed, that’s why it’s very important to know the diabetes risk factors.
Risk Factors
- Your risk increases with age. You’re more at risk if you’re white and over 40 or over 25 if you’re African-Caribbean, Black African, Chinese or South Asian.
- You’re two to six times more likely to get type 2 diabetes if you have a parent, brother, sister or child with diabetes.
- Type 2 diabetes is two to four times more likely in people of South Asian descent and African-Caribbean or Black African descent.
- You’re more at risk if you’ve ever had high blood pressure.
- Your risk is also increased if you have a high waist measurement
- You’re more at risk of type 2 diabetes if you’re living with obesity or are overweight.
- Type 2 diabetes is slightly more common in men than in women
Know Your Risk
You can find out your risk of type 2 diabetes now; it only takes a few minutes and it could be the most important thing you do today.
Before you use the tool to find out your risk, you need to take a few measurements: your waist size, your height and your weight.
Find out more about how to get an accurate waist measurement. It’s not your belt size.