As Americans’ waistbands increase, so does the prevalence of type II diabetes. “It’s turning into a national epidemic,” says Uzma Syed, MD, an endocrinologist with Adventist GlenOaks, Adventist Hinsdale and Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospitals. In fact, almost 24 million Americans have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association, yet one in four people don’t even know they have it.

Understanding diabetes
Diabetes is a disease that is caused by the body’s inability to either produce or use insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas that aids the body in converting sugar to energy. There are two types of diabetes:

Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body doesn’t produce insulin. This most commonly affects children.

Type II diabetes occurs when not enough insulin is produced or the body doesn’t use it properly. Up to 95 percent of all people with diabetes have type II, and 57 million more Americans are at risk for it because they have prediabetes. When type I and type II diabetes aren’t managed, elevated blood sugar levels can damage nearly every system in the body, including the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and blood vessels.

Could you be at risk?
Adults with undiagnosed diabetes can have a variety of symptoms, including fatigue, increased hunger and thirst, blurred vision, increased urination, weight loss and wounds that won’t heal. However, being asymptomatic doesn’t mean you’re in the clear. Ask yourself the following questions to find out if you’re at risk:

• Do one of my parents or siblings have diabetes?
• Am I older than 45?
• Am I overweight or obese?
• Do I live a sedentary lifestyle?
• Did I have gestational diabetes while pregnant?
• Am I African American, Hispanic, Native American or Asian American?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, Dr. Syed recommends talking to your doctor about getting screened with a simple fasting blood sugar test. Levels below 100 mg/dL are considered normal, people with levels between 100 and 125 mg/dL are considered to have prediabetes and people with levels higher than 126 mg/dL are considered to have diabetes. “If your blood sugar levels are normal, it’s good reassurance to keep doing what you’re doing,” she says. “If your levels are high, you can take steps now to change the course of the disease.”

Your community resource
To prevent, diagnose and manage type II diabetes, Adventist Midwest Health believes education is key. “In fact, they often hold community health fairs to screen adults and spread the word about early detection,” Dr. Syed says. “Diabetes prevention and management is the same – eat healthy and exercise often.”

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases. Register for a blood sugar screening by calling 866-533-7968. A $230 value, this screening is only $11.