Understanding Diabetes better, Diabetes Awareness Month – Burlington Times News

November is diabetes awareness month.
In 2017, diabetes mellitus became the 7th leading cause of death in Alamance County, according to Alamance County’s 2021 Community Health Assessment.
In 2019, approximately 11.9% of the state’s population had Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes, according to the United Health Foundation.
There are three types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2, and gestational, according to the Centers for Disease Control Center.
Knowing the basics, such as the differences between the types, can helpful prevent diabetes and understand the disease better.
Type 1 diabetes may account for 5% to 10% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes, according to Alamance County’s 2021 Community Health Assessment.
Risk factors include autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors, according to Alamance County’s 2021 Community Health Assessment.
Type 2 diabetes diabetes may account for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes, according to Alamance County’s 2021 Community Health Assessment.
Risk factors for Type 2 diabetes include age, obesity, family history of diabetes, prior history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, physical inactivity, race and ethnicity, according to Alamance County’s 2021 Community Health Assessment.
Gestational diabetes develops in 2% to 10% of all pregnancies but usually decreases when a pregnancy is over, according to Alamance County’s 2021 Community Health Assessment.
Gestational diabetes occurs more frequently in minorities, people with a family history of diabetes, or obese women, according to Alamance County’s 2021 Community Health Assessment.
Women who have had gestational diabetes are at increased risk for later developing Type 2 diabetes, according to Diabetes Basics.
While there is no cure for diabetes, prediabetes can be reversed; stop diabetes before it becomes a problem with these prevention tips.
Taking this CDC Prediabetes Test can help North Carolinians understand their risk.
The YMCA offers a Diabetes Prevention Program to help people with prediabetes lose weight, increase their physical activity, and eat healthier through a CDC-approved curriculum to prevent type 2 diabetes.
The program also offers a supportive, small group led by trained YMCA staff.
The Diabetes Prevention Program is offered in a virtual format statewide and in person at some North Carolina YMCAs to anyone who meets eligibility requirements.
Most NC residents are eligible to participate in the Y’s Diabetes Prevention Program for free through 2023, and members of Medicaid insurers Carolina Complete Health and WellCare who qualify can participate in the Y’s Diabetes Prevention Program for free.
Family members and loved ones can help make dealing with diabetes more manageable by providing a support system to those diagnosed with diabetes.
Here are some ways to support a loved one living with diabetes, according to UNC Health Talk.
Each person with diabetes has their way of managing the condition. It’s best to offer support to that person in a way they choose, which sometimes means not all. Ask how you can be there for them.
For a person with diabetes, the burden of having to constantly monitor his or her health and the discomfort of physical symptoms can be very stressful and contribute to anxiety and depression. In fact, people with diabetes are two to three times more likely to have depression than people without diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If you think your loved one is struggling with depression or other mental health problems, you can be a source of support. 
If a person with diabetes experiences a major drop, called hypoglycemia, or rise, called hyperglycemia, in his or her blood sugar, this can be dangerous and lead to life-threatening problems such as seizures or becoming unconscious. So it’s important for people around them to be aware of the signs of low blood sugar.
For low sugar, watch out for fatigue, weakness, shakiness, pale skin, sweating, hunger, irritability, dizziness, nervousness, or anxiety.
For high sugar, watch out for fruity-smelling breath, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath and confusion.
Donate to the American Diabetes Association, the Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation, or the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation.

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