Could You Have Pre-Diabetes?

By Staff, 11/6/17 12:31 PM

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Prediabetes means your blood glucose (sugar) is higher than normal, but not yet diabetes. Diabetes is a serious disease that can cause heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, or loss of feet or legs. Type 2 diabetes can be delayed or prevented in people with prediabetes through effective lifestyle programs. Take the first step. Find out your risk for prediabetes.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has developed a screening tool, CDC Prediabetes Screening Test, located at their website, https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/pdf/prediabetestest.pdf, for downloading. It consists of seven simple questions answered with a Yes or No. The seven questions include:
•Are you a woman who has had a baby weighing more than 9 pounds at birth?
•Do you have a sister or brother with diabetes?
•Do you have a parent with diabetes?
•Find your height on the chart (provided on the handout). Do you weigh as much as or more than the weight listed for your height?
•Are you younger than 65 years of age and get little or no exercise in a typical day?
•Are you between 45 and 64 years of age?
•Are you 65 years of age or older?

All “No” answers are 0 points. The “Yes” answers are 1 point each for the first three questions and 5 points each for the last four questions. The higher your score, the greater your risk for prediabetes now. After taking the Prediabetes Screening Test, if your score is in the high range, make an immediate appointment with your health care provider for testing. Early detection is key in managing prediabetes.

If you do not have computer access for the free download, contact the Hempstead County Extension office at 870-777-5771 for a copy of the Prediabetes Screening Test. Any employers or civic groups who would like to schedule a program on prediabetes, contact the extension office.

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, it is very important to manage it before serious complications occur.
What is Diabetes? Diabetes is a problem with the body that causes blood glucose (sugar) levels to rise higher than normal. In Type 2 diabetes, the body does not use insulin properly. If you have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, you are not alone.
Did you know in the United States 30.3 million people have Diabetes? That is 9.4% of the population. Did you also know that of that 30.3 million, 23.1 million people have been diagnosed and 7.2 million people are undiagnosed? What about just in Arkansas? The population in Arkansas is approximately 2.98 million people. Of that 2.98 million 11.5 % (259,130) of adults in Arkansas have Diabetes.
Some symptoms of Diabetes include frequent urination (especially at night), increased thirst or hunger, weight loss or gain, blurred vision, fatigue, and slow wound healing. If you have any of these symptoms, you may want to make an appointment with your health care provider to discuss them.
The good news is there are some things we can change to help with our Diabetes! These are called Modifiable Risk Factors. They include smoking, overweight/obesity, physical inactivity (less than 3 times a week), poor nutrition, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and stress.
If we have Diabetes, we can manage it! It might be a little hard at first, but over time it gets easier! Some important things to help with the management of Type 2 Diabetes are to eat healthy, be physically active most days of the week, manage stress, take medications as prescribed, monitor blood sugar and, most important, remember you are the center of your diabetes care team!
Hempstead County Extension can provide a multi-session program, Living Well with Diabetes to groups interested in more information on Diabetes along with recipes and tools for eating healthfully. Contact our office if you have a group interested in this type of program.
There is no reason to feel alone with having Diabetes. With the right tools and support you can live a positive healthy life! Don’t give up! You can do it!

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