Because March is right around the corner and designated as National Kidney Month, it’s a good time to review the basics when it comes to understanding and preventing kidney disease.
Now, most of us are familiar with diabetes; but did you know that diabetes is the main cause of kidney failure, limb amputation and new-onset blindness in American adults?
Diabetes 101 – In healthy adults, when we eat food, it is broken down and turned into a sugar called glucose, which is used for energy within the body. However, in order to use glucose properly, our bodies need a hormone called insulin, which helps take that sugar out of our blood to be absorbed into our cells for energy. When you have Type 2 diabetes, your body either doesn’t produce enough insulin on its own, or the cells in your body don’t use that insulin properly. Instead of using glucose for energy, that sugar stays in your blood, which can lead to a number of serious health problems. With pre-diabetes, your blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough yet for a diagnosis of diabetes.
Research shows that people with diabetes are more likely than people without to develop and die from diseases of the heart and blood vessels, otherwise known as cardiovascular disease. Adults with diabetes also have heart disease death rates two to four times higher than adults without diabetes, and their risk of having a stroke is two to four times higher. It’s safe to say that when it comes to diabetes in America, there’s no question we’re facing a major epidemic and a host of challenges to public health, the health-care system and our economy.
Statistics by the American Diabetes Association report that about 29.1 million people in the United States have diabetes, of which approximately 21 million are diagnosed and 8.1 million remain undiagnosed. Of those who are diagnosed with diabetes, 90 to 95 percent have Type 2 diabetes.
Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 1 out of every 3 U.S. adults meets the criteria for pre-diabetes. That calculates to about 79 million Americans – or 35 percent of adults aged 20 years or older – who may be unaware they have pre-diabetes and are at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes within 10 years if they don’t take steps now to lower their risk.
Is there anything we can do to prevent or delay pre-diabetes from developing into Type 2 diabetes? The good news is “yes”: Research supports that with modest weight loss, meaning a 5 to 7 percent reduction in your current body weight or 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person, healthier food choices, not smoking and at least 150 minutes each week of physical activity, you can begin to decrease your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Because many different factors contribute to your risk, it’s important to find out early if you have pre-diabetes or Type 2 diabetes because early treatment can prevent serious complications later. So, during the designated National Kidney Month of March, be proactive and take the first step to better kidney health by understanding and finding out what your risk is.
To find out more about diabetes or to identify your risk for diabetes, go to www.yourdiabetesinfo.org and take the “Diabetes Risk Test.” If the test shows you could have pre-diabetes, talk to your health-care provider as soon as possible.
Liza Fischer is the Patient Support manager for Axis Health System. She can be reached at lfischer@axishealthsystem.org or 335-2206.
