Why Should You Care About Diabetes?

Part of an ongoing series dedicated to raising health and safety awareness across the Temple community.

It is the leading cause of kidney disease, blindness, and amputation, yet nearly 25% of people who have it don’t even know it. This November, during American Diabetes Month, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) is asking “Why should you care about diabetes?”

Chances are you – or someone you love – have been affected by diabetes in some way. But even if you haven’t been affected by diabetes, you need to know that diabetes is one of the biggest public health crises of the 21st century, and it continues to grow to epidemic proportions. Nearly 24 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes. The death rate for diabetes has continued to grow since 1987, while the death rates due to heart disease, stroke and cancer have declined.

Having diabetes places a person at increased risk for a number of serious, even life-threatening complications, including:

• Heart disease and stroke - Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes.
• Blindness - Diabetic retinopathy causes 12,000 to 24,000 new cases of blindness each year making diabetes the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults 20-74 years of age.
• Kidney disease - Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, accounting for 44% of new cases in 2002.
• Amputations - More than 60% of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations occur in people with diabetes.

Remembering the ‘ABCs of diabetes’ can help to prevent or delay the onset of these serious diabetes complications:

• A1C - For most people with diabetes, it is important to keep their A1C (average blood glucose level over 2 or 3 months) less than 7 percent.
• Blood Pressure - People with diabetes should have a target blood pressure of less than 130/80 mmHg.
• Cholesterol - LDL (bad) cholesterol should be below 100 mg/dl; HDL (healthy) cholesterol should be above 40 mg/dl for men and 50 mg/dl for women; triglycerides should be below 150 mg/dl.

How do I know if I have diabetes?

As noted above, up to one-quarter of all people with diabetes are unaware that they have it. This is because the symptoms of diabetes (much like high blood pressure) usually do not appear until the disease is far advanced.

Risk factors for having diabetes include:

• Advanced age
• Overweight and obesity
• High blood pressure
• Having family members with diabetes
• Women who have had gestational diabetes (pregnancy-related diabetes)
• Ethnicity (Native-, Hispanic-, African-, and Japanese-Americans have a higher risk)

To determine your risk for prediabetes or diabetes, check out the American Diabetes Association's Diabetes Risk Calculator.

Although this test can help you to assess your risk of developing or having diabetes, the only way to know for sure if you have diabetes is to have what is called a fasting blood sugar test. This is done by having a blood sample taken in the morning before eating breakfast. A glucose, or sugar, level above 126 means you have diabetes. A number between 100 and 125 means that you have pre-diabetes. People with pre-diabetes do not have the disease yet, but have a higher chance of developing diabetes in the future.

If a diagnosis of pre-diabetes or diabetes is made based on the blood test, your health care provider can talk to you about options for treatment which can range anywhere from improving your diet, to exercising more frequently, to medications.

If you have further questions, talk to your healthcare provider. You may also schedule an appointment at Employee Health Services (ext. 1-2679) to discuss your risk of diabetes and, if necessary, have a confidential fasting blood test.

November 14, 2008 is World Diabetes Day. Join the American Diabetes Association and Temple University's School of Podiatric Medicine for free screenings, foot workshops and more! Please call 215-967-4514 or click here for more information.

 

This article is reproduced in part with permission from the American Diabetes Association, as part of an ongoing series of health and safety articles aiming to raise awareness among Temple University employees, faculty and students about a range of health and safety issues. This is an initiative developed by Temple’s Health and Safety Committee, comprising members from across the University community. For more information about American Diabetes Month, please visit the American Diabetes Association at www.diabetes.org or call 1-888-DIABETES (1-888-342-2382). If you have health and safety questions, suggestions or concerns, please e-mail the Health and Safety Committee at healthandsafety@temple.edu.