DIABETES - Do you know your glucose level?
by Letitia Holloway Owens
(Page 1 of 2)

With the holiday season just around the corner and November being Diabetes Awareness month, it's only fitting that we look at diabetes and how it affects our community.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes Mellitus is a condition in which the level of sugar, also called glucose, in the bloodstream is too high. Diabetes means that the body can't change sugar and starch into the energy needed for everyday activities. The pancreas, a gland located behind the stomach, normally makes a hormone called insulin. Insulin allows sugar to enter the cells of the body where it can be burned to supply energy and maintain life. Diabetes occurs when the pancreas makes little or no insulin.

Symptoms of diabetes include:

• strong thirst
• a frequent need to urinate
• blurry vision
• excessive tiredness

Types of Diabetes

• Type 1 Diabetes
• Most often, but not always seen in people who are 35 years of age or younger. Formerly called Juvenile Diabetes.
• The body stops making insulin completely within a year or two of diagnosis.
• People with type 1 diabetes need daily insulin shots along with diet and exercise to stay healthy.
• Accounts for 5%-10% of all diagnosed diabetes cases.

• Type 2 Diabetes
• Generally 40 years of age or older.
• Many are overweight or obese.
• The body is still able to make insulin but it either is not enough or it may not work properly.
• Some people can control their type 2 diabetes with diet and exercise. Others may need pills and eventually insulin shots.
• Accounts for 90%-95% of all diagnosed cases.

• Gestational Diabetes
• This form of diabetes develops during pregnancy.
• The chance of developing Type 2 diabetes after pregnancy for this group is 20%-50% in the next 5-10 years.

Some Staggering Statistics

• 1.5 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in 2005.
• It's estimated that 14.8 percent of African-Americans over 20 had diabetes in 2005 (NHANES, 1999-2002).
• Diabetes was the 6th leading cause of death in 2002 according to death certificates.
• Over 3 million (approximately 13 percent) African Americans age 20 and older have diabetes. 33% are undiagnosed.
• African Americans are almost twice as likely to have diabetes as Caucasians.

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