Disease States
DIABETES
The Epidemic of Diabetes and the Risks for Diabetes
There are over 25 million people in the United States with diabetes and 7% are not even aware of having diabetes.
The American Diabetes Association recommends screening for diabetes after age 40 for all as well as for people who are at high risk.
Population at risk for developing type-II diabetes include:
- Overweight with a BMI greater than 25 kilogram/meter
- Family history of type-II diabetes
- Race and ethnicity other than white, which is African-American, Hispanic, Latino, Native American, Pacific Islander, and Asian-American
- People who have migrated from other continents to the United States develop an increased risk of diabetes in the second or third generation as compared to the risk in their ancestral countries.
- Past history of gestational diabetes
- Have given birth to a baby, which is more than eight and a half pounds at birth
- Physical inactivity as well as high blood pressure
- Past history of polycystic ovarian syndrome or metabolic syndrome
- In addition to this, patients who have heart problems and history of hypoglycemia/pre-diabetes are also at risk of developing diabetes
It is important for high-risk people to be screened for type-II diabetes. The onset of diabetes can be delayed in patients who have these risk factors if they are able to achieve 7% of weight loss and activity of greater than 30 minutes a day as this was conclusively showed in a NIH sponsored study, called the Diabetes Prevention Program.
