Bold approach needed in diabetes awareness

November is American Diabetes Month — a time to shine a spotlight on a serious disease that leads to potentially life-threatening complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and amputation.

This year, we need to take a bolder, more audacious approach to American Diabetes Month. Consider that:

• 24 million children and adults in the United States live with diabetes.

• 57 million Americans are at risk for type 2 diabetes.

• 1 out of every 3 children born today will face a future with diabetes if current trends continue.

Chances are that 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 the biggest public health crisis of the 21st century, and it continues to grow to epidemic proportions. 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, potentially 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.

• Kidney disease — Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure.

• Amputations — More than 60 percent 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.

Bonner General Hospital’s diabetes education program is certified by the American Diabetes Association. The hospital has three certified diabetes educators on staff to provide diabetes education to those living with diabetes, as well as a free monthly support group.

If you would like more information about Bonner General Hospital’s diabetes education and support services, please call Audrey Buck, registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, at 265-1116.

Lynda Metz is the director of community development at Bonner General Hospital. The statistics in this article was provided courtesy of the American Diabetes Association.