ATLANTA -- The government says the rate of new diabetes cases nearly doubled in the United States over the last decade.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 23 million Americans have diabetes, and last year about 1.6 million new cases were diagnosed in people 20 or older.
The report also offers the first state-by-state review of new diagnoses.
Generally the highest levels were in the South, while West Virginia has the highest rate of any state. About 13 in every 1,000 adults in the state have been diagnosed with the disease.
About 90 percent of the cases are Type 2 diabetes, which is the form linked to obesity.
Those findings echo geographic trends seen with obesity and lack of physical activity, where Southern states also rank among the worst.
The American Diabetes Association says the state breakdown could help government and health insurers decide where to focus prevention campaigns.
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