November is National Diabetes Awareness Month

By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2015

The month of November has been designated as National Diabetes Awareness Month by the American Diabetes Association.

Diabetes is a modern day epidemic that affects millions of people across the United States putting their overall health in jeopardy. Maverick County is no exception.

Maverick County has a high prevalence of Diabetes and it’s predicted to continue affecting our community greatly year to year as Texas Health Institute studies project a more than doubling of the number of Diabetes diagnosed cases within Maverick County from 2015 to 2040.

State Demographers at the Texas Health Institute report that by the year 2020, Maverick County will have approximately 21.5% of its population inflicted by Diabetes. If you compare the projected percentage to the 2015 Maverick County population of approximately 60,000 people, it means that close to 13,000 people living in Maverick County will have Diabetes by 2020. By 2040, it is projected that 27.2% of the population in Maverick County will have Diabetes.

“Diabetes is a condition where the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a naturally produced hormone. Insulin is required for the body’s tissues to have access to sugar, starches and other foods for energy. There are three main forms of Diabetes:•Type 1 Diabetes is usually but not always diagnosed in children and young adults as a result of an autoimmune disorder.• Type 2 Diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and accounts for 90 – 95 percent of the cases diagnosed today. Historically diagnosed in adults, this form of diabetes is now also being diagnosed in children.• Gestational diabetes occurs when a pregnant woman who may never have had Diabetes before experiences elevated blood sugar levels during pregnancy. While requiring management and attention during pregnancy, the condition is transient and usually reverses itself upon, child birth. When left untreated the woman and child run substantial risk of a complicated birth process ranging from premature birth to the birth of a child with excessive weight.” States the THI report

“Development of the condition also greatly increases the mother’s risk of developing diabetes again later in life.”

The American Diabetes Association estimates that 5.7 million Americans do not know they have Type 2 diabetes. Another 57 million have a condition called pre- Diabetes, a precursor to Type 2 Diabetes.

Diabetes is asymptomatic in its earliest stages. Many cases remain undiagnosed for long periods of time, leading to a greater chance for complications such as heart attack, kidney disease, nerve damage, stroke, eyesight problems and infections. All forms of diabetes are treatable. While there is no known cure, daily and often more frequent, treatments allow people with Diabetes to live relatively healthy, normal lives. Early screening, diagnosis and treatment also prevent or reduce serious consequences of the disease, including heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, emergency room visits, hospitalizations, loss of sight and limbs. Once diagnosed, diabetes requires active self-management, which often includes daily insulin injections, blood glucose monitoring, medications, dietary modifications and exercise. Because treatment requires patient education, medications, special treatment and supplies, diabetes can be costly to patients. However, the daily self- management needs of people with diabetes are remarkably affordable when compared to the hospital costs associated with diabetes complications.

For more information about Diabetes, please consult your physician or visit the United Medical Centers located 2525 N. Veterans Blvd (830) 757- 5358, 1175 Eidson Road (830) 757- 6946, and at 4018 El Indio Highway (830) 872-3460, or call the Maverick County Hospital District Diabetes Prevention and Management Program located at 3406 Bob Rogers Drive in Eagle Pass, Texas or call them at (830) 757-4900.

Living with Diabetes and controlling it with the appropriate medicines, treatments, diets, and exercise is far easier than living with the many complications due to a lack of treatment. Get yourself checked, your life depends on it.