Diabetes "Hotspots" in the US

An interesting study has identified 10 states as being hotspots for type 2 diabetes. They are:

1. California:  6.6 million people with diabetes;
   
2. Texas:  5.5 million;
   
3. Florida: 4.2 million;
   
4. New York:  2.9 million;
   
5. Ohio:  2.1 million;
   
6. Illinois: 2 million;
   
7. Georgia: 2 million;
   
8. Pennsylvania: 1.9 million;
   
9. North Carolina: 1.9 million; and
   
10. Michigan: 1.6 million.

The sad and frustrating thing for healthcare professionals is that many cases of type 2 diabetes are preventable. Unlike type 1 diabetes, which often, but not always, begins in childhood, type 2 diabetes can result from being overweight and inactive.

According to the CDC, type 2 diabetes (previously called adult-onset or non-insulin dependent diabetes) accounts for 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. Let me repeat that: 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases.

The American Diabetes Association reports: In 2007, diabetes was listed as the underlying cause on 71,382 death certificates and was listed as a contributing factor on an additional 160,022 death certificates. This means that diabetes contributed to a total of 231,404 deaths.

Diabetes is more than just a disease that affects your blood sugar. High blood sugar levels affect your whole body drastically. Having diabetes increases your risk of developing heart disease, nerve pain (particularly in your feet) and inability to fight infection. Having diabetes can lead to an often fatal illness called sepsis. Diabetes can cause kidney disease, too.

The cost of diabetes is enormous. From the financial aspect of dealing with the supplies to manage the disease, to the lost days of work. Diabetes affects the community as a whole.

Are you at risk for diabetes? Take the ADA Risk Test to find out.

New concern about diabetes: rising rates of gestational diabetes

We’ve all heard about the rising rates of type 2 diabetes, what used to be called adult-onset diabetes. We’ve also heard about how teens and children are developing this disease that used to only affect adults. But now we’re hearing more about gestational diabetes, diabetes that occurs during pregnancy (Instances of diabetes during pregnancy on the rise).

Luckily, in most cases, gestational diabetes goes away after the baby is delivered, but there are risks to both the baby and the mother during the pregnancy and, it’s believed, after.

The American Diabetes Association reports that 4% of pregnant women in the US develop gestational diabetes. Four percent may not sound like a lot, but that is about 135,000 women.

The most common result of gestational diabetes is a large baby. While this may not seem to be an issue at first glance, the larger the baby, the more difficult it is to deliver naturally and the baby is at higher risk of birth injuries. As well, researchers are finding that there may be long-term effects, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes in adulthood.

Most pregnant women undergo blood glucose (sugar) testing during the 24th to 28th week of pregnancy to catch diabetes before it is out of control. (Info from MedLinePlus.) However, it is good to know the symptoms. They are the symptoms of type 1, type 2, or gestational diabetes:

- Feeling very thirsty all the time or much more frequently than ever before
- Urinating frequently
- Feeling very fatigued despite resting
- Nausea and vomiting
- Losing weight despite eating normally
- Infections
- Blurry vision

Unless there is a reason to start aggressively right away, most women with gestational diabetes begin treatment through lifestyle changes. This means changing the diet, preferably under a dietician’s supervision. The mother’s will still include foods that provide nutrients to her and the baby, but restrict the amount of sugar that her body needs to process. Lifestyle changes also include exercising as much as possible. However, it is important that the exercise program be checked and approved by the doctor first.

Women with gestational diabetes are usually taught how to monitor their blood sugar and have to be tested regularly and monitored closely. If the lifestyle changes don’t work, then insulin will be needed. Once the baby is born, however, the body usually goes back to its pre-pregnancy state and usually the diabetes disappears. Although this is usually the case, it is important that women always tell their physicians, no matter at what age, that they had gestational diabetes as they could be at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later on.

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