Be Aware: Diabetes

In the United States, approximately 84 million people have prediabetes, and nine out of 10 of them don’t know it. Prediabetes increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

During American Diabetes Month, we encourage you to take proactive measures by taking the prediabetes risk text and speaking with a health care provider to understand the risks of developing diabetes and take steps to reverse prediabetes.

Prediabetes is a condition where a person’s blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes is reversible by incorporating a healthier lifestyle, such as increased physical activity, weight loss, and a healthier diet. Without lifestyle changes, prediabetes can progress into type 2 diabetes.

Anyone can have prediabetes for many years without any symptoms. There are several risk factors for prediabetes, including being overweight, being 45 years old or older, having a close relative such as a parent or sibling with diabetes, having a sedentary lifestyle, having gestational diabetes, or having polycystic ovary syndrome. In addition, African Americans, Hispanics/Latinx, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, and some Asian Americans have a higher risk factor.

Our team and staff at MountainView Hospital take your health and quality of life seriously. To offer help and resources to our community, we have free one-time diabetes educational classes available. Our classes are led by certified dieticians and pharmacists who can all help answer all your questions! You can visit our website MountianView-Hospital.com or call (702)962-5021 to register or learn more about the classes.

For additional information about prediabetes and resources, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Prediabetes: Your Chance to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes webpage. The Southern Nevada Health District’s Office of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion also offers a free, online diabetes prevention program called the Road to Diabetes Prevention developed specifically for people with prediabetes or who are at risk for diabetes. Participants can sign up for the Road to Diabetes Prevention program on the Get Healthy Clark County or the Viva Saludable’s Programa de Prevención de Diabetes en línea webpages.

This content originally appeared on Southern Nevada Health District http://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org