November: national diabetes month
The National Kidney Foundation of Louisiana is recognizing November as National Diabetes Month to help educate people about diabetes, help those at risk to get checked and take action, and help those who have diabetes to manage it.
what is diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which the body is either no longer making a hormone called insulin or the insulin that is made is not working as it should. Either way, high amounts of glucose (a form of sugar) build in the bloodstream and cause problems from damage to the eyes, kidneys, blood vessels, and nerves. For this reason, diabetes is the primary cause of new cases of adult blindness, kidney failure, and non-traumatic lower-limb amputation. Over a million Michigan adults have diabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure.
risk factors
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Lack of exercise
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Overweight/Obesity
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Family history of type 2 diabetes
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Unhealthy eating
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History of gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy)
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Race/Ethnicity - African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, and some Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are at particularly high risk for type 2 diabetes.