A Quick Primer
Five things you should know about diabetes—including how to avoid it.
1 Who’s at risk for type 2 diabetes?
You are—if you have a family history of diabetes; are overweight and inactive; are over age 45; are Hawaiian, Filipino or Japanese; or had gestational diabetes. Keep in mind, though, that skinny people can also develop diabetes.
2 Do you have diabetes and don’t know it?
Warning signs include frequent trips to the bathroom; unquenchable thirst; losing weight without trying; weakness and fatigue; tingling or numbness in hands, legs or feet; blurred vision; and frequent infections or cuts and bruises that take a long time to heal. Some people have no warning signs at all.
3 Diabetes will put a serious dent in your wallet.
If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, your medical expenses average nearly 2.4 times those of people without it.
4 Here’s what you can do:
- Heart disease and stroke kill 65 percent of people with diabetes. And studies show that by controlling blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol, these deaths can be cut by about 30 percent.
- More adults go blind from diabetes than from any other cause. And annual dilated eye exams and timely treatment can prevent half of these cases. Check your health plan benefits if you have questions about your coverage for this and other exams.
- Diabetes is the No. 1 cause of kidney failure. And controlling blood pressure and glucose could cut kidney function decline by 30 percent to 70 percent.
- Doctors amputate the feet and legs of about 82,000 patients with diabetes a year in America. And regular foot exams and foot care programs could prevent up to 85 percent of these.
- People with diabetes are about three times more likely to die of complications from flu or pneumonia. And only 55 percent of patients with diabetes get annual flu shots.
5 Even if you’re in a high-risk group or have pre-diabetes, this doesn’t mean you will get diabetes.
One study of people at high risk showed that those who exercised 30 minutes a day, switched to healthier diets, and lost 7 percent of their body weight cut their risk of developing diabetes by 58 percent. This was especially true for people over 60.
