November is a month to raise awareness about diabetes and those who live with this chronic disease every day.
Every year a theme is chosen to represent Diabetes Month, and this year the theme is “Eyes on Diabetes.” This means we are focusing on screening for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
According to the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA), an estimated one million Canadians are living with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes.
“Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes usually develop in adulthood, although more children and adolescents are being diagnosed,” says the CDA. “Prediabetes means a person’s blood glucose (sugar) levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Nearly half of those with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes.
“Research shows that some long-term diabetes complications such as heart disease and nerve damage may begin during prediabetes, but the risk of developing diabetes can be reduced by nearly 60 per cent through lifestyle modifications. If left undiagnosed or untreated, diabetes is a leading cause of life-threatening complications, including heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and amputation. Currently, 20 people are diagnosed with diabetes every hour of every day.”
Due to the large number of people at risk for type 2 diabetes, the CDA has launched the “Don’t Be Risky” campaign. This campaign urges Canadians to take a quick questionnaire at DontBeRisky.ca to determine their risk for type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.
This year, during the month of November, you will find the Regional Diabetes Program in Flin Flon, The Pas and Thompson hosting activities to raise awareness for type 2 Diabetes and its complications.
Some risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes are:
• Having a parent, brother, or sister with diabetes.
• Being a member of a high-risk group (aboriginal, Hispanic, South Asian, Asian or African descent).
• Having given birth to a baby that weighed more than nine pounds at birth or having had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy).
• Having high blood pressure.
• Having high cholesterol or other fats in the blood.
• Being overweight, especially if that weight is mostly carried around the stomach.
The “Don’t Be Risky” campaign is aiming to inform Canadians so they have the information to speak with their primary care provider about how they can lower their risk.
For more information about this campaign or how you can lower your risk, contact your local diabetes program (204-687-1350 in Flin Flon).
– Northern Health Region
A hidden disease
An estimated one million Canadians are living with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. That’s one out of every 35 Canadians.
Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which one’s pancreas do not produce enough insulin, or one’s body does not properly use the insulin it makes. As a result, glucose (sugar) builds up in the blood instead of being used for energy.
The body gets glucose from foods such as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, milk and fruit. To use this glucose, the body needs insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body control the level of glucose in the blood.
People with type 2 diabetes can live a long and healthy life by keeping blood glucose levels in the target range set by themselves and a health-care provider.
Some of the ways this can be accomplished include eating healthy meals and snacks, enjoying regular physical activity, monitoring blood glucose using a home blood glucose meter, aiming for a healthy body weight, taking diabetes medications, managing stress effectively and discussing with a health-care provider how often to measure blood glucose level.
Source: Canadian Diabetes Association
