November is American Diabetes Month

Did You Know…

• Almost 26 million American children and adults have diabetes
• Each year, about 15,000 youth ages 20 and under are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the U.S.
• Diabetes kills nearly 300,000 people each year in the US, more than AIDS and breast cancer combined
• The death rate for diabetes is on the rise, while death rates for cancer and heart disease are declining
• Diabetes costs the American public more than $174 billion each year

Sadly, about 6 million Americans don’t know they have the disease.

Alarming problems behind the numbers
 
A Health News article stated, “Every 17 seconds, one American is diagnosed with diabetes, which is why it is important to raise awareness and put a stop to what amounts to a runaway train.”

But, what exactly is Diabetes?

 At the Harvard Medical School, researchers say the prevalence of diabetes is at a rise – globally. Diabetes has now filtered and threatens to overwhelm health system in low AND middle-income countries.

“Cancer, diabetes, heart diseases are no longer the diseases of the wealthy. Today, they hamper the people  and the economies of the poorest populations, even more than infectious diseases. This represents a public health emergency in slow motion.”

 Mr Ban Ki-Moon, UNSecretary-General
  

Important Notes:

Medical term, diabetes mellitus is classified on the basis of aetiology and clinical presentation of the disorder into four types:

■type 1 diabetes,
■type 2 diabetes,
■gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and
■other specific types.

As you take a closer look at diabetes, notice how Type 2 diabetes (formally known as adult-onset) creeps up on people. This particular type takes years to fully develop.  It is caused when muscle and other cells stop responding to insulin’s open-up-for-glucose signal, displayed in the video. Without any resistance the body continues to make more insulin, trying to shove blood sugar into cells, which in turn exhausts the insulin-making cells and fail.

The good news Type 2 Diabetes Can Be Prevented by:

keeping weight in check
being active
eating a healthy diet

Following these precautionary steps can aid the population in preventing most cases of type 2 diabetes.