DIABETES ALERT A chronic illness

Today is American Diabetes Alert Day. Diabetes is a disorder characterized by high levels of glucose in the blood or urine. It is a chronic illness that should be measured and monitored by the individual and a qualified health care team. Ninety to 95 percent of diabetes cases are noninsulin-dependent diabetes (Type 2).
Risk factors for Type 2 diabetes include: Older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, prior history with gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, physical inactivity.
Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in Ohio, with the majority
of deaths related to diabetes occurring after the age of 65.
Ohio spent an estimated $5 million on diabetes in 1996. Individuals with diabetes are disproportionately affected by disability, and the financial costs to patients and to society are staggering.
Diabetes-related services that Medicare will cover include: Glucose monitors, test strips, lancets and self-management training. An individual with diabetes is required to pay 20 percent of the Medicare approved amount after the annual Part B deductible is paid.
Treatment of diabetes can include: diet control, exercise, home blood glucose testing, and in some cases, oral medication and/or insulin. Diabetes patients should visit their doctors at least once a year for eye and foot exams as well as a blood pressure test.
What else: Regular and proper glycemic control and lipid management can delay or prevent complications from diabetes, such as heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and lower-extremity amputations.
For information on local activities or to obtain a free copy of the risk test in English or Spanish, call the American Diabetes Association at (800) 342-2383 or visit the Web site at www.diabetes.org. For more about diabetes-related health-care quality improvement projects in Ohio, call Ohio KePRO at (216) 447-9604 or on-line at www.ohiokepro.com.
Source: Ohio KePRO, the quality improvementorganization for Medicare in Ohio.