With November being National Diabetes Awareness Month for both types 1 and 2 of the disease, Owensboro Times spoke with Owensboro Health in bringing local awareness to the area.
The two most common types of diabetes–type 1 and 2–are very different in regard to their causes. Those with type 1 diabetes–originally referred to as juvenile diabetes–make up for only 5 percent of all diabetics in America. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says type 1 means a person’s pancreas doesn’t produce insulin the way it should and requires day-to-day care to control. Currently, there is no known way to prevent type 1 diabetes.
The CDC says more than 30 million Americans suffer from diabetes. The biggest issue with type 2 diabetes across the nation and in Owensboro is that numbers are increasing, according to Beth Cecil, Manager of Community Awareness for Owensboro Health. Type 2 most often develops in people over the age of 45. This increase in numbers is believed to be due to higher numbers in obesity and a lack of physical exercise for both children and adults.
Cecil said, according to 2018 statistics, 26,874 people per year are diagnosed with diabetes in Kentucky. Moreover, the ever-increasing expenses for supplying diabetic equipment and doctoral assistance means costs are increasing for healthcare providers, to the point of no return unless something drastically changes.
“Our [national] healthcare system isn’t going to be able to afford the costs unless we get it under control,” Cecil said.
Kentucky Public Health revealed statistics showing that from 2000 to 2016, the number of diabetes diagnoses in Kentucky more than doubled from 6.5 percent (198,052) to 13.1 percent (449,324). Even more, an additional 141,891 Kentucky residents are predicted to be living with diabetes, undiagnosed.
One of the most staggering realities of type 2 diabetes is its recent prominence in the lives of children.
“Now we’re seeing a lot of kids with type 2 because of obesity and diet,” Cecil said, adding that the youngest children she’d seen that had shown signs of high blood sugar relating to type 2 diabetes were 10, 11 and 12 years old.
“We’re seeing elevated blood sugar and insulin resistance [in these kids]. In Kentucky, we as a society are so busy, and we’re not making healthy food choices,” Cecil said. “We don’t get up anymore. We’ve got apps for everything. Technology is great, but it’s really affecting our health.”
Cecil added that the cause for children and adults developing type 2 diabetes is due to many factors, including emotional eating.
“Life is tough sometimes. People use food as a source of comfort,” Cecil said.
According to CDC statistics from 2016, diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the nation, mostly because long-term complications from the disease take a major toll on the health of those who suffer from it.
In our local area, Cecil says more people suffer long-term from eye issues due to uncontrolled diabetes, which can also cause blindness and other retinal issues for those whose blood sugars stay elevated over long periods of time. Diabetes also leads to heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, neuropathy, hypertension, amputation and other complications as well.
As for those who allow their diabetes to go uncontrolled, Cecil believes the reason for that lies in the fact that people who’ve lived an unhealthy lifestyle for most of their life have a harder time adjusting to life with type 2 diabetes, meaning they’re more reluctant to change their eating habits and get more physical exercise. Moreover, Cecil says many people are diagnosed with prediabetes before an official diabetes diagnosis, and many of them don’t take the disease seriously until their prediabetes has evolved into full-fledged type 2 diabetes.
Cecil and her staff of six diabetes educators offer a Diabetes Prevention Program as well as additional assistance for those who have diabetes or prediabetes and have concerns or questions about their health. The team welcomes anyone with a doctor’s referral to call the Owensboro Health Healthpark at (270) 688-5433.
