Dr. Jane Sadler
Approximately 1 in 4 Americans do not know they have it. Type 2 Diabetes: a medical condition in which untreated elevated blood sugars can have precarious effects on every organ of the body.
Approximately 1 in 3 Americans have prediabetes. Defined as borderline elevated blood sugars, these 86 million Americans have blood sugars that are not quite high enough to be classified as diabetes.
Without aggressive changes towards healthy lifestyle choices, 15-30% of prediabetics will develop diabetes in the next 5 years. Without proper medical and self- attention to this disease, a cascade of catastrophic events may occur. Heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and increased incidence of infection and some cancers are examples of some of the complications that may develop in uncontrolled diabetes.
Now the United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends adults aged 45 and older and those who are younger with risk factors receive annual screening for diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes was previously defined as adult onset diabetes but this disease is now seen in children. As younger people have become more obese in the last several decades, there has been a crescendo in type 2 diabetes diagnosed in this young age group.
Multiple methods are used to diagnose diabetes. In addition to standard blood sugar testing, diabetes screening tests may include a hemoglobin A1C. This specialized test measures the body’s 3-month average blood sugar.Pregnant women blood sugars are generally tested 1 hour after drinking a glucose “load”. Blood sugar levels are measured one hour after drinking a super sweet sugar-laden beverage. Diagnosis of diabetes is based on the body’s ability to manage this sugar-load. If the blood sugar remains at high levels after 1 hour (1 hour glucose tolerance test), the patient is considered diabetic or prediabetic.
Know your number! What is your fasting glucose level and in which direction are you trending over time. If your numbers are going up and reaching close to 100 (or above), begin intervention with aggressive diet and physical activity. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has an excellent website to help you get on with your healthier lifestyle management.