There are some sobering numbers in an analysis of 2005–2006, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The most shocking was that in adults, aged 20 years or older, that 40% are either pre-diabetic or diabetic. Plus 40% of those that have full blown diabetes do not know that they have it. So, do you have diabetes?

The number of persons with pre-diabetes or diabetes increases as we age. For the elderly (?) the prevalence of pre-diabetes and diabetes is about 75%. About a third of the elderly have diabetes.

These numbers are alarming since having uncontrolled diabetes has major health impacts. For instance it can cause retinopathy, resulting in a permanent reduction in ability to see. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults. Diabetes is associated with having an increased risk of having a heart attack, a stroke and whole range of other diseases.

Other findings were that number of people diagnosed diabetes has increased since the last survey. The epidemic of diabetes continues. Diabetes is more common in the Hispanic population than blacks or whites, but it is high in all populations.

current guidelines indicate that everybody 45 and older, or under 45 with one or more risk factors, should be have their glucose tested. Risk factors include family history of diabetes, being overweight, high triglycerides, low HDL (good) cholesterol, high blood pressure and being inactive. These risk factors cover most of the population! We all need to get tested at regular intervals.

The value of regular testing was just brought home to me recently. A person who works across the hall from me, who had not been tested in a long while, got a fasting glucose as part of health fair. It was high, he went to see his primary care physician who confirmed the test, and then gave him some medication. At the next physicians visit, his fasting glucose having been taking metformin (glucophage) for two months, was 320 mg/dl. (100 – 125 mg/dl is considered prediabetic, and 126 mg/dl and above, is diabetic.) He is now injecting himself with insulin. With regular testing, he would have been diagnosed sooner and been able to at least slow the progression of the diabetes, and certainly not have so much damage to his body from an extended period of high glucose.

It is worth finding out if you have diabetes.

photo credit: woody1778a

[tags]diabetes, pre-diabetes, NHANES[/tags]