Nearly 11 million people in the U.S. could be living with undiagnosed diabetes

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, the No. 1 cause of kidney disease, and an estimated 40 million people are living with it nationwide.

Despite decades of prevention education and major breakthroughs in treatment, doctors say diabetes continues to hit the South especially hard - including North Carolina.

It can create serious long-term complications, including coronary artery disease, heart attacks, never damage, and amputations.