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About
Diabetes
More than one million Texans have been diagnosed with diabetes and another
half million are believed to have undiagnosed diabetes. Risk factors for
diabetes include:
- Member of a high risk group: African American, Hispanic, Native American,
Asian American
- Family history of diabetes
- High or low blood sugar
- Overweight (over 20% ideal weight)
- Limited physical exercise
- Age 45 or older
- Previous diabetes with pregnancy or you’ve had a baby weighing
more than 9 pounds at birth
How to find out if you have diabetes
New guidelines recommend everyone age 45 and older consider being
tested for diabetes every three years. People in high risk ethnic groups
should be tested at a younger age. You’ll need two different fasting
blood sugar (FBS) tests on two different days. If both FBS test results
are 126 mg/dl or greater, you have diabetes.
Diabetes is a serious disease
Diabetes can lead to blindness, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure,
amputations and death. You can prevent or delay complications from diabetes
by eating healthy meals, exercising regularly, controlling your weight,
monitoring your blood sugar, taking the medicine your doctor prescribes
and living a healthy lifestyle.
The Texas Diabetes Council promotes diabetes prevention and awareness throughout
the state. Free diabetes education materials are available through the Publications
and Resources section of this web site.
Resources
for individuals with diabetes: |
The Diabetes Program at the Texas Department of State Health Services
compiles a list with contact information for a number of organizations,
publications and programs that offer information and assistance for persons
with diabetes.
Visit
these sites for more information about diabetes: |
External links to other sites are intended to be informational
and do not have the endorsement of the Texas Department of State Health
Services. These sites may also not be accessible to people with disabilities.
National Diabetes Education Program
www.ndep.nih.gov
American Diabetes Association
www.diabetes.org
American Association of Diabetes Educators
www.aadenet.org
American Dietetic Association
www.eatright.org
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/diabetes/index.htm
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
www.jdfcure.com
National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse
http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/
Last Updated July 6, 2007 |