March 27 is American Diabetes Association Diabetes Alert Day, the day set aside to focus on the importance of diabetes, especially when left undiagnosed or untreated.
Here’s why getting checked for diabetes matters:
- Over 30 million Americans have diabetes.
- Another 84 million have pre-diabetes and are at risk for developing it.
- 1 in 4 people with diabetes, and 9 in 10 with pre-diabetes, don’t know they have it.
- Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the US.
- Healthcare costs for people with diabetes is 2.3 times that of people without diabetes.
Notice I said, “especially when left undiagnosed and untreated.” If diabetes is not managed, devastating complications can occur, including: heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, and amputations. But with care and attention diabetes can be well-controlled at safe levels.
Here’s what you should be alert for:
1. Do you have it? Get tested this month. There are often no symptoms so it is best to have your blood glucose or A1C tested at a lab.
Risk factors include:
- Has anyone in your family had diabetes?
- Are you over age 45?
- Are you physical inactive?
- Are you overweight?
2. People who get educated and have support do best.
Studies show that people with pre-diabetes can delay or prevent getting diabetes altogether by making important lifestyle changes. Studies show that lifestyle changes can reduce your risk by 58%!
If you already have diabetes, the goal is to pay attention and make realistic changes to keep your glucose (blood sugar) level close to the normal range.
The A1C goal for most people is less than 7%. A1C is a lab test that measures your average blood sugar over the last 2 to3 months. It will let you know how well your diabetes treatment plan is working.
With diabetes, simply going to your health care provider and taking a pill is not enough. Diabetes is largely “self managed” and many factors affect your blood sugar.
Receiving education from a health care professional knowledgeable about diabetes is important.
Certified Diabetes Educators (CDE) are specifically trained to work with people with pre-diabetes and diabetes to achieve individualized behavioral and treatment goals. They will help you to understand your diabetes and provide support.
The American Diabetes Association recommends diabetes self management training at diagnosis and as needed thereafter.
As a CDE, I usually do not see people for education early enough. It is too common (and heartbreaking) for my clients to already be suffering from complications that they might have been able to avoid when they are first referred for education.
Diabetes education pays off. Less than 60% of people with diabetes get any formal diabetes education. However, those that do are more likely to:
- Use primary care and preventive services.
- Take their medications as prescribed.
- Have better control of their glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
- Have lower health costs.
- Advocate for yourself and ask your health care provider for a referral for diabetes education.
3. If you have diabetes, get these tests done annually to know where you stand. In the early stages, there are no symptoms associated with diabetes complications. It is important to find problems early so they can be treated before doing further damage.
Kidney function: There are two simple tests, microalbumin and eGFR which will indicate how well your kidneys are filtering.
Dilated eye exam: Your eye doctor can check for problems associated with diabetes.
Foot exam: A podiatrist (foot doctor) will do a complete foot exam to check nerve function and blood flow to your feet.
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