Diabetes Alert Day: take action to learn your risk
PRESQUE ISLE — In observance of Diabetes Alert Day, Wednesday, March 23, the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) and Healthy Aroostook, a project of Aroostook County Action Program, are encouraging people to find out if they are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes is called a ‘silent killer’ because nearly one-fourth of those with the disease do not know they have it. For many, diagnosis may come seven to 10 years after the onset of the disease. Early diagnosis is critical to successful treatment and delaying or preventing some of its complications.
Nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes, with an estimated 100,000 Mainers having the disease. Approximately 79 million adults have pre-diabetes, putting them at increased risk for developing the disease.
If left undiagnosed or untreated, diabetes can lead to serious health problems such as heart disease, blindness, kidney disease, stroke, amputation and even death. With early diagnosis and treatment, people with diabetes can delay or prevent the development of these health problems. Some of the risk factors for diabetes include being overweight and physically inactive. The good news is that you can take action now to lower your risk for developing type 2 diabetes by making healthy lifestyle changes.
Go to www.diabetes.com/
about-type-2-diabetes/diabetes-risk-test.html to assess your risk.
To learn more about diabetes and available resources, go to the NDEP website at www.YourDiabetesInfo.org.
