The next Brown Bag Lecture at the Estes Park Medical Center is Friday, Sept. 30, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. in the Timberline Conference room. Attendees can bring their lunch and the medical center will provide dessert and coffee. Dr. Guy VanderWerf, M.D., who is a physician with the Family Medical Clinic, will present the program on diabetes. VanderWerf has been with Family Medical Clinic since 1994. He received his bachelor’s degree in mathematical sciences from Stanford University and went on to receive his doctor of Medicine from the University of Arizona. He is board-certified in family medicine.

Diabetes is a condition that is characterized by high blood sugar level. In diabetes, the glucose level in your body increases, either because your body is unable to produce a type of hormone called insulin, or it is unable to properly utilize the insulin produced by the pancreas. In either case, the glucose level in the body increases, leading to a hyperglycemic condition or high glucose level.

The primary cause of diabetes is either that the pancreas is not producing enough insulin, or the insulin receptors of your cells are not functioning normally. According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 25.8 million people in the United States, or 8.3 percent of the population, who have diabetes and 1.9 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed each year in people aged 20 years and older.

There are various types of diabetes, but the most common are Type I and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. In Type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin.

Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. only 5 percent of people with diabetes have this form of the disease. With the insulin therapy and other treatments, even young children with Type 1 diabetes can learn to manage their conditions and live long, healthy lives.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Millions of Americans have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and many more are unaware they are at high risk. Some groups have a higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes than others. For example, Type 2 diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific islanders, as well as older populations.

In Type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy. When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can lead to diabetes complications.

Diabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem so harmless. recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chance of developing the complications of diabetes. Symptoms of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are as follows:

Type 1 diabetes

Frequent urination

Unusual thirst

Extreme hunger

Unusual weight loss

Extreme fatigue and Irritability

Type 2 Diabetes

any of the Type 1 symptoms

Frequent infections

Blurred vision

Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal

Tingling/numbness in the hands/feet

Recurring skin, gum or bladder infections.

Many people do not find out they have the disease until they have diabetes complications, such as blurry vision or heart trouble. It is important to find out early if you have diabetes, because treatment and education can prevent damage to your body. Over the years, high blood glucose damages nerves and blood vessels, leading to complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, nerve problems, gum infections and amputations. It is never too late to prevent diabetes or to become educated.

Join us on Sept. 30, from 12 noon to 1 p.m., to learn more about diabetes with Dr. Guy VanderWerf. He will review types of diabetes, signs, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and long-term care of the disease. For more information or to RSVP, call 577-4390.

Sci Tech

HbA1c diabetes blood test not as effective for children

The haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test has become the preferred way to diagnose diabetes among the millions of Americans who have diabetes but show no symptoms. the simple test measures longer-term blood sugar levels — without requiring patients to fast overnight.

Not best way

But a study by the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital shows it’s not the best way to diagnose diabetes in children.

But U-M researchers say more study is needed before doctors can safely rely on using haemoglobin A1c for children.

“we found that haemoglobin A1c is not as reliable a test for identifying children with diabetes and pre-diabetes compared with adults,” says study lead author Joyce M. Lee, a paediatric endocrinologist at Mott Children’s Hospital. “using this test in children may lead to missed cases.”

The study was published online ahead of print in Journal of Pediatrics and provides new insight on effectively diagnosing diabetes in children.

In 2010, the American Diabetes Association released guidelines recommending HbA1c be exclusively used for diagnosing diabetes in children and adults.

For the study, Mott researchers evaluated the testing results of 1,156 obese and overweight adolescents, ages 12-18. the ADA recommends screening only obese and overweight kids because their weight puts them at higher risk for developing diabetes.

According to the guidelines, individuals without symptoms would be classified as having diabetes if HbA1c values reach 6.5 percent and as having pre-diabetes if HbA1c values reached between 6 and 6.4 percent on two separate tests.

According to a University of Michigan press release, the cut-off point may need to be lower for kids.

Until more definitive studies are available, it’s premature to use HbA1c for children, authors say. — our Bureau

Printer friendly page   Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sci Tech

By 2020, more than half the nation’s adult population will have diabetes or the condition that precedes it, which will create more than $3 trillion in health-care expenses, a new report says.

El Paso is likely to be hit harder than many other areas, said Mickey Molina, an El Paso Diabetes Association board member.

“Because of our demographics, the fact (El Paso) is primarily Hispanic, I think the numbers here will be worse,” Molina said. the incidence of diabetes among Hispanics is nearly double that of non-Hispanic whites, according to the American Diabetes Association. the causes are not entirely clear, Molina said, but probably are related to diet.

The report, created by UnitedHealth Group’s Center for Health Reform and Modernization, estimates that 52 percent of the adult population will have diabetes or prediabetes in 10 years. Treating that population will cost an estimated $3.35 trillion, the report says.

“Our new research shows there is a diabetic time bomb ticking in America, but fortunately, there are practical steps that can be taken now to defuse it,” Simon Stevens, the group’s executive vice president, said in a statement. “Making a major impact on the prediabetes and diabetes epidemic will require health plans to engage consumers in new ways, while working to scale nationally some of the most promising preventive care models.”

Prevention and control of the disease could cut costs by as much as $250 billion over the decade, the report says.

“The only way to curtail diabetes is to prevent it,” Molina said.

About 27 million U.S. residents now have diabetes, the report states. Nearly a quarter of them are unaware that they have the disease, according to the report.

It estimates that an additional 67 million have prediabetes. About 60 million of them, it says, are not aware of their condition, which has few symptoms.

Prediabetes is characterized by elevated glucose levels that are not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis. Recent research, according to the American Diabetes Association, has shown that the condition can damage the heart and circulatory system.

El Paso County had 74 cases of diabetes per 1,000 people in 2005, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Diabetes Surveillance system.

Nationally, there were 53 cases per 1,000 people. Texas, in that same year, had the highest diabetes rate of any Southwest border state.

Molina said he believes those numbers understate the problem.

Many people are in denial when it comes to diabetes, said Molina who estimates about a quarter of El Pasoans have some form of the disease or its precursor.

“It’s really a terrible disease because it comes in the back door,” said Molina, who has been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

“People don’t think about it until they get the blurry vision or the cramps” that can be symptoms of diabetes.

Once you are diagnosed, there is no cure, Molina said.

Prevention includes exercise, weight loss in some cases and, above all, a healthful diet.

“The diabetes diet is the diet everybody else should be eating, which is a balanced diet,” Molina said. “You have to make a change in lifestyle.”

Molina also believes medical costs are higher than estimated.

“Nobody ever died of diabetes,” Molina said. “But you have the heart problems, the kidney problems, the eye problems.”

In 2009, a person diagnosed with diabetes required a total of about $11,700 in health care annually, the report says.

The remainder of the population required an average of $4,400 a year, it states. And people who suffered complications from diabetes required an average of $20,700 annually, it says.

“So many people are in denial, and they think once they get it, they can take a pill and go on their merry way,” Molina said.

“It doesn’t work that way.”

Chris Roberts may be reached at ; 546-6136.