| NOVEMBER IS
NATIONAL DIABETES
AWARENESS MONTH |
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Approximately 17 million Americans
have diabetes, of whom 5.9 million are undiagnosed.
Over 200,000 people die each year of related complications. In 2001
diabetes was the sixth leading cause of death. |
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There are several types of diabetes,
including: |
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Type 1
Diabetes -
insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [IDDM]
or juvenile-onset diabetes; |
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Type 2
Diabetes -
non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [NIDDM] or adult-onset
diabetes; and |
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Gestational
Diabetes - a form
of glucose intolerance that is diagnosed in some women during
pregnancy. |
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Ninety to 95 percent of those who have
diabetes have type 2 diabetes. |
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Diabetes is the main cause of kidney
failure, limb amputation, and new-onset blindness in American adults.
People with diabetes are also two to four times more likely than
people without diabetes to develop heart disease. |
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Trends show that
minority populations are disproportionately affected by diabetes. |
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Between 1980 and
2000, the age-adjusted prevalence of diagnosed diabetes was higher
among blacks than whites and highest among black females. |
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Between 1997 and
2000, age-adjusted prevalence of diagnosed diabetes for Hispanic males
and females was similar to that of black males. |
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On average,
American Indians and Alaska Natives are 2.6 times as likely to have
diagnosed diabetes as non-Hispanic whites of a similar age. |
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SCREENING |
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Anyone 45 years old or older should
consider getting tested for diabetes. If you are 45 or older and
overweight (see
BMI chart), it is strongly recommended that you get tested. If you
are younger than 45, overweight, and have one or more of the
risk factors, you should consider testing. Ask your doctor for a
fasting blood glucose test or an oral glucose tolerance test. |
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Even if your blood glucose level is normal
and you have no risk factors, if you are over 45, you may need to
remind your doctor to check your blood glucose again in 3 years. If
your blood glucose is higher than normal but lower than the diabetes
range (what we now call pre-diabetes), have your blood glucose checked
in 1 to 2 years. As you get older, your chances of getting type 2
diabetes rise. You are also more likely to get type 2 diabetes if you
have one or more of the risk factors. |
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WHAT YOU CAN DO |
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When people with diabetes can control
their blood sugar (glucose), they are more likely to stay healthy. Do
four things every day to lower high blood glucose: |
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Follow your meal plan. |
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Get regular exercise. |
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Take your diabetes medicine. |
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Check your blood glucose. |
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The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP)
found that over the 3 years of the study, diet and exercise sharply
reduced the chances that a person with imapired glucose tolerance (IGT)
would develop diabetes. Metformin, an oral diabetes drug also known as
Glucophage, also reduced risk, although less dramatically. The DPP's
striking results tell us that millions of high-risk people can use
diet, exercise, and behavior modification to avoid developing type 2
diabetes. The DPP also suggests that metformin is effective in
delaying the onset of diabetes. |
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| FOR MORE INFORMATION |
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White House
Presidential Proclamation
National Diabetes Month, 2003 |
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CDC
Diabetes Public Health Resource |
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CDC Health Topic:
Diabetes |
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CDC Division of
Nutrition and Physical Activity |
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National
Diabetes Education Program |
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Food and Drug Administration Diabetes Information |
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Medline
Plus: Diabetes |
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National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse |
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Diabetes
in Select US Populations |
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Are You At Risk for Gestational Diabetes? |
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American Diabetes
Association |
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Healthy
People 2010, Chapter 22, Physical Activity and Fitness |
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Healthy
People 2010, Chapter 19, Nutrition and Overweight |
