What you should do about diabetes
Most of us know someone with diabetes. People used to call it "having a little sugar in the blood", but diabetes is not sweet. It is a serious condition that can increase your risk for heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease and amputations. With Type 1 diabetes, often identified in childhood, the body doesn't produce any insulin - a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy. Individuals with Type 1 diabetes must take daily insulin injections. However Type 2 diabetes is far more common, accounting for 90 to 95 percent of all diabetes cases. With Type 2 diabetes, generally found in adults, the body can not make enough or properly use insulin.
According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, African-Americans are twice as likely to have diabetes than white Americans, and far more likely to develop complications from the disease and to die from it.
The good news is that with proper lifestyle changes - like eating healthier and getting more exercise - some might avoid the disease all together. For those with diabetes, proper diagnosis and treatment can lead to a longer, better life.
Because the risk for diabetes is so high, Park West physicians regularly screen patients for the disease. Be sure to talk to your doctor if you have siblings or parents with diabetes or if you have any other risk factors - like being overweight, over age 45, not exercising regularly, and/or high cholesterol.
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