November is American Diabetes Month


Diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States. It can cause blindness, nerve damage, kidney disease, and other health problems if it’s not controlled.
Adults and children in Georgia are increasingly feeling the effects of diabetes as more than 1,000,000 suffer from this deadly disease, 350,000 of whom don’t even know they have it! If present trends continue, it is estimated that one out of every three children, one in two minority children, faces a future with diabetes.
Here are just a few of the recent statistics on diabetes:

  • Nearly 30 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes.
  • Another 86 million Americans have prediabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
  • The American Diabetes Association estimates that the total national cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States is $245 billion.

People who are at high risk for type 2 diabetes can lower their risk by more than half if they make healthy changes. These changes include: eating healthy, increasing physical activity, and losing weight.

Self-management Education

Diabetes education plays a key role in managing diabetes. The Diabetes Complication and Control Trial (DCCT) showed that proper management of blood sugar levels reduce the risk of eye disease by 76%, nerve disease by 60%, kidney disease by 50%, and heart disease by 35%, thus reducing the amount of health care dollars expended per patient.
More information about American Diabetes Month: 

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