Diabetes affects an estimated 38 million Americans, but 1 in 5 of them don’t know they have it. With the condition becoming more and more prevalent, Atrium Health Navicent doctors urge the community to take steps to learn their diabetes risk and take action early, when it’s easier to prevent serious and life-threatening complications.
“If discovered early, lifestyle modifications like diet and exercise, and medication can prevent so much of the damage diabetes can cause to a person’s body over a lifetime,” said Dr. Timothy Griffin, who provides care at Atrium Health Navicent Primary Care North Macon. “It’s important to have awareness of the disease, and to have a conversation with your primary care provider about your risk factors. If you’ve been diagnosed, a primary care provider can help manage your condition.”
By answering a few easy-to-understand multiple choice questions online, Atrium Health’s Diabetes Risk Assessment tool offers individuals quick insight into their personal risk factors. After completing the online assessment, participants receive a report via email that can be shared with a primary care physician.
Diabetes is a metabolic disease in which the body is unable to produce enough insulin to regulate glucose levels in the bloodstream. Many cases of diabetes go undiagnosed. If left untreated, diabetes can lead to blindness, heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and amputation. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 98 million U.S. adults have prediabetes, and in the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled as the American population has aged and become more overweight or obese. In central Georgia, about 17 % of adults have reported being diagnosed with diabetes.
Common risk factors include smoking, too much body fat and low weekly physical activity. Things like age, gender and family history of diabetes can also impact diabetes risk. People with diabetes should “know their numbers” and keep them under control. This includes blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, weight and waist measurement.
In addition to care management offered by a primary care provider, Atrium Health Navicent provides support for individuals diagnosed with diabetes through Diabetes Healthways and the Healthy Communities Diabetes Readmission Program. Participants in both programs are offered education about diabetes management and ongoing support.
To find a doctor, visit www.NavicentHealth.org and click “Find A Doctor.”