Published on December 03, 2010
Genesis Diabetes Care Focuses On Prediabetes
Imagine if more than half of all Americans had diabetes or prediabetes. That could be the reality in 10 years if the disease continues at its current pace, a new study shows.
Nancy Ingelson of Moline is taking action, so she won’t be among the statistics. She first learned her blood glucose level and blood pressure were higher than normal several years ago, when she committed herself to annual physical exams.
She also had risk factors for Metabolic Syndrome, a precursor to diabetes and heart disease.
“Over the years, my fasting blood glucose has stayed high, hovering just below 100 (mg/dL) but it didn’t seem to be going up,” said Ingelson, a chaplain supervisor for Genesis Spiritual Care. “This year, my blood glucose rose to 103, inching closer to the 126 level that indicates diabetes.”
She signed up for a new prediabetes class at the Genesis Diabetes Care Center. After two sessions, she knows what to do to help prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes. She has discovered it only takes modest – not monumental -- lifestyle changes to make a difference.
“Diabetes runs in both sides of my family, and I was concerned because those numbers kept creeping higher,” she said. “I’m an educator and wanted to learn how to have more personal control over my health.”
Ingelson is among an estimated 57 million Americans who have prediabetes: They have higherthan- normal blood sugar levels, but the levels are not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. They often have other risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity.
Prediabetes abounds
To stem the problem, the Genesis Diabetes Care Center has strengthened its focus on prediabetes and recently launched classes for the general public. The two-session class is $20 and offered at center locations in Bettendorf and Silvis. The class is free to Genesis employees.
“Prediabetes is a wake-up call that you need to do something now to prevent Type 2 diabetes,” says Marsha Menke, MS, RN, CDE, CPT, manager of the Genesis Diabetes Care Center. “Once you have diabetes, it’s very rare it will go away. That’s why we’re trying to help people who fall in the prediabetes range.”
Menke added, “About 58 percent of people with prediabetes can prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes if they make small changes, such as a 5-10 pound weight loss and increasing their exercise to 150 minutes a week.”
Last week, a report by health insurer United Health Group Inc. estimated that diabetes and prediabetes will cost the U.S. health care system $3.35 trillion over the coming 10 years if current trends go unabated.
Average health care costs in the U.S. for a person without diabetes stands at approximately $4,400, compared to $11,700 for a person with the disease, according to data on UnitedHealthcare members.
The average annual cost nearly doubles to $20,700 for a person with diabetes complications, such as heart and kidney disease, nerve damage, blindness and circulatory problems that can lead to nonhealing wounds and limb amputations, the report shows.
That’s why early intervention to prevent prediabetes from becoming diabetes is so important, Menke said. Diabetes symptoms can be difficult to recognize because they can appear gradually over a long period of time. Symptoms can include fatigue, frequent urination, excessive thirst, and in some cases, sudden weight loss, urinary tract infections and blurred vision.
“Diabetes follows a progessive course, often starting with obesity and then moving to prediabetes,” Menke said. “Early intervention can prevent this disease.”
A new lifestyle
Ingelson is using the new prevention tools she learned from Genesis diabetes educator Vicki Bean, RD, LD, CDE.
“If your body is moving into Type 2 diabetes, you never want to go more than 4 hours without eating,” Ingelson said. “Now I pay more attention to carbohydrate counts and portion sizes and try to get in those snacks. I don’t skip breakfast anymore.”
During the first session, Ingelson learned about the diabetes prevention diet, portion sizes, how to chart her food intake and the importance of exercise. At the second session, Bean reviewed her food chart and answered more questions. Then the two participated in Zumba Gold, a beginner's level of the popular aerobic dance.
“Vicki was welcoming, nonjudgmental, educational and very enthusiastic,” Ingelson said. “I’m grateful for the class. I plan to keep working at it, and will have a follow-up blood test with my doctor in February.”
She concludes: “I’ve had this body a long time, and I want to do all I can to keep it healthy.”
