November 2008 National Diabetes Awareness Month

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Diabetes Association, the fifth deadliest disease in the nation currently affects 23.6 million people and sadly 5.6 million of those people do not know that they have the disease. Diabetes is a disorder wherein the body is unable to produce or regulate insulin. Insulin is important in that it is the hormone necessary for the conversion of food, mainly starches and sugars, into energy. Once broken down inside the body, most of the food ingested becomes glucose. The glucose is then carried by the blood and, through the use of insulin, it is converted into energy. Consequently, symptoms of diabetes include fatigue, blurry vision, extreme hunger and/or thirst, frequent urination, irritability, and excessive weight loss or gain. The symptoms of diabetes are not unusual and therefore the disease often goes undiagnosed. It is important to receive regular screenings, along with maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle, as early detection can help to prevent complications from the disease.

The three main forms of diabetes are: type 1, type 2, and gestational. Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile-onset diabetes because it is most commonly found in this age group, develops when the immune system destroys the beta cells used to make insulin resulting in abnormal blood glucose levels. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body resists the proper use of insulin. Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes in Americans, and the CDC reports that cases of type 2 diabetes have nearly doubled in the last ten years. Both types of diabetes increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, blindness, and damage to the liver and kidneys. Lastly, gestational diabetes develops most often in the pregnancies of those women who are at higher risk of type 2 diabetes. After birth, five to ten percent of these women are found to have type 2 diabetes, with an additional 20 to 50 percent of these women acquiring it within the next ten years. If left untreated gestational diabetes can cause complications in the mother and the baby both during and after the pregnancy.

Although there is no cure for diabetes, there are a variety of treatments that will help those affected maintain a healthy, vigorous, and rewarding lifestyle if they so choose. The first step of any treatment is to get regular testing, as early detection leads to a more effective control of the disease. For those who have diabetes the monitoring of blood glucose levels is extremely important in the prevention of disease related complications. Treatment of type 1 diabetes includes the administering of insulin to the body through pump or injection. There are a variety of ways to perform either of these treatments. The treatment of type 2 diabetes is based on the regulation of the blood glucose level through a healthy diet and regular physical activity or exercise; there are also oral medications that aid in the maintenance of type 2 diabetes, though self-management is the necessary and most effective method of treatment for most forms of the disease, as well as helps prevent further complications in the body. Often those effected with diabetes need to also take oral medications for the treatment of high cholesterol and blood pressure. Maintenance and prevention of diabetes is both simple and self-determining. Be active in your health and disease prevention; get screened for diabetes.

Visit Women In Government Diabetes Policy A-Z Page

Sample Op-Ed for November: American Diabetes Month

Additional resources:
American Diabetes Association - http://www.diabetes.org/about-diabetes.jsp
CDC - http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/general.htm#top
FDA - http://www.fda.gov/WOMENS/taketimetocare/diabetes/fswomen.html