October 30, 2026 - 5:00 am

Type 2 diabetes has serious health implications (including increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease), yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 27.6 million of the 40.1 million Americans with diabetes don’t know they have it.

Undiagnosed diabetes is dangerous because when chronically high blood sugar is left untreated, it can damage blood vessels and nerves. This can cause irreversible harm to the body’s organs before symptoms even start. This is why it’s crucial to know your diabetes risk and know how to manage your diabetes if you do have it.

“Most patients (with Type 2 diabetes) are asymptomatic because of its slow onset,” says Dr. Kevin Pantalone, an endocrinologist and the director of diabetes initiatives at the Cleveland Clinic.

Pantalone adds that many people have Type 2 diabetes for a full five years before it’s diagnosed.…