Note: This article, in part, cites cold statistics to make a point but its main purpose is to provide an alert so that you can become aware of the possibility that you may have a disease condition and not know about it. That in itself is a problem, not knowing about it. According to information published by the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) there are an estimated 50 million people in the United States, and many others worldwide, who are not aware of a condition affecting their health. They just don't know they have the health condition doctors call Prediabetes. And prediabetes definitely can hurt you since it poses health risks that lead to cardiovascular problems that can begin quite soon if the condition is left untreated. There is also a significantly increased risk of developing Type-2 Diabetes, an incurable disease with serious complications affecting the quality of life and even a shortened lifespan in many cases. What is prediabetes? Prediabetes is a condition in which a person's blood glucose levels are elevated beyond what is considered normal in a healthy non-diabetic person. Although the blood glucose levels, sometimes referred to as blood sugar levels, are higher than normal and creating a health risk, they are not high enough to be considered diabetic but many people with prediabetes do, within a few years, develop the full case of Type-2 diabetes. In fact, the American Diabetes Association's literature relates that most type-2 diabetics did first have prediabetes. Prediabetes and Diabetes, some statistics Prediabetes and diabetes present an urgent health problem for the United States. Diabetes is being increasingly diagnosed and growing to alarming proportions and its complications and consequences are costing significant loss of lives and financial resources. The CDC reports that diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death indicated on death certificates issued in the United States in 2006. As figures for later years become available I suspect that they too will show even more deaths attributable to diabetes. Direct medical costs of diagnosed diabetes in 2007 exceeded $174 billion in the United States and the CDC estimated indirect costs amounted to an additional $58 billion. Why don't we know? The reason for being unaware of having a health condition such as prediabetes is that there are no obvious symptoms that call attention to it. It can only be detected by blood glucose tests that are requested by a physician. Prediabetes is often unexpectedly revealed in cases where blood tests have been requested for medical reasons other than prediabetes, perhaps in the course of a routine periodic health checkup or perhaps when screening for some other medical purpose. What can be done to prevent or delay the progress of prediabetes? It usually requires making some changes in the way we live and what we eat. Publications of the Canadian Diabetes Association state that research studies conducted with participants having prediabetes have shown that the development to type-2 diabetes can be delayed or prevented by taking early steps to monitor and manage blood sugar levels and by adopting appropriate healthy lifestyle changes. Proof of this was obtained from two large studies, the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study and the Diabetes Prevention Program that achieved a positive outcome in almost 60 percent of participants. The implementation of a suitable dietary regime of eating the right quantities of the right foods and avoiding the wrong foods, cutting down on fats and high glycemic index foods for instance, and adding some form of physical activity that can lead to even a modest weight loss can make a big difference. In conclusion So there it is, if you are overweight as many of us are, you've probably heard it all before, about better diet and exercise I mean. But now you know that you could have preadiabetes and if you are overweight the odds are higher against you so that adds something extra to be considered, whether it is time for a medical checkup or to make an opportunity for a blood test, since it is the only way to know for sure. And watch your blood glucose levels, if they are higher than normal you are at increased risk. Afterthought: Because of the prevalence of prediabetes and its increasing incidence together with diabetes, perhaps it is time for national health authorities to forcefully bring it to the attention of every family in the country. This might be done by way of a nationwide mailing of a message, small enough to fit on a postcard, that can give an emphatic warning and advice on what to do immediately, especially for those overweight. In this way it would at least reach the 50 million unaware Americans who, the Center for Disease Control estimates, have the condition but are not aware of it. And if everyone were to be sent for a blood test we would surely save a lot of future anxiety and distress for so many. That would be, I believe, a step towards encouraging preventative medicine and perhaps save some part of the CDC's estimated $200 billion in healthcare costs.
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