Bartlett Regional | HouseCalls | Fall 2017

10 HouseCalls Fall 2017 More than 100 million Americans are affected by diabetes. That’s according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Diabetes is a chronic condition characterized by elevated glucose (sugar) in the body’s blood stream. Elevated glucose can cause catastrophic events such as heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, limb amputation and blindness. Type 2 diabetes accounts for up to 95 percent of all cases of diabetes. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include being older than age 45, having high blood pressure, having high cholesterol, having a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes, being overweight or sedentary, having a history of prediabetes or gestational diabetes, or having polycystic ovary syndrome. Time to act Almost everyone diagnosed with type 2 diabetes first develops a condition called prediabetes, in which blood glucose levels in the body are elevated but not yet high enough to be in the diabetic range. The good news? Prediabetes can be reversed! Here to help Bartlett Regional Hospital is taking action to stop the epidemic of type 2 diabetes. Our Health Matters program helps participants at risk for developing diabetes learn to make healthy choices they can incorporate into daily life. Participants learn to identify and select healthy foods and portion sizes and increase physical activity to at least 150 minutes per week. The result: a loss of 5 to 7 percent of their body weight. These lifestyle changes have been proven to decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58 percent! The main benefit of attending Health Matters is a healthier and quite possibly prolonged life! Added benefits are new friends, exercise buddies and healthy lifestyle support. However, the program is not a quick and easy fix. (and your life!) Health matters By Cynthia Gordon-Nickerson, RN, CDE, CMC Diabetes Education–Patient Education