Diabetes Alert Day: Local physicians speak on awareness and risk management
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COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — Tuesday, March 26 marks Diabetes Alert Day.
WRBL spoke with the Glycemic Management Team at Piedmont Columbus Regional about understanding the causes of diabetes. One of those team members was Katherine Hines, who is an inpatient diabetes educator.
Diabetes is a disorder where your blood sugar start to go higher than they should be. Then eventually they go up to the point of diagnosis. Which could be an AC1 greater than 6.5 or a glucose level greater than 1. 6 on two separate occasions. It’s just where your body is not using your insulin as well as it should anymore, or it’s not making as much insulin anymore.
Katherine Hines, inpatient diabetic educator
Hines, who has been a diabetes educator for fifteen years, told WRBL there are many types of diabetes. The most commonly known are type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Hines explained the difference.
She says, “Type 1 diabetes is a disorder where your pancreas no longer makes insulin and therefore you have to give insulin injections in order to be able to live. Type 2 is a disorder of insulin resistance where the body may be making insulin, but it’s not using it correctly. And a lot of times it’s also not making as much as it.”
As diabetes is a common disease, many people go undiagnosed. Hine says, “Out of the 38 million Americans with diabetes, about eight million of them go undiagnosed.”
Hines explained that diabetes also puts you at risk for other health conditions like stroke, heart attack, and cardiovascular disease. With this, the glycemic management team at Piedmont Columbus Regional also recommends taking advantage of the diabetes training classes that are free to everyone. These classes aim to teach the public on diabetes management, as well as the risk factors for developing the disease.
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