November is National Diabetes Awareness Month

November 7, 2021

This November, learn more about diabetes.

Since 1975, November has been the month when the world comes together to raise awareness about the often misunderstood epidemic of diabetes. Doctors explain the science of diabetes, but celebrities like Nick Jonas have begun speaking out about what life as a diabetic is like. This blog will explain what diabetes is and how patients manage the chronic health condition in Southwest Louisiana.

Diabetes is Common

I’m sure you know at least one person who lives with diabetes. Because, in the U.S., nearly 1 in 10 patients have diabetes. There are two types of diabetes, and most Americans living with the condition (95%) have type 2 diabetes, which means that they were likely diagnosed with diabetes as an adult. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 34 million patients live with diabetes in America. Of these patients, 1.6 million Americans have type 1 diabetes, and nearly 200,000 of those with type 1 diabetes are young people.

More alarming than those figures is the fact that nearly 1 in 3 American adults have prediabetes, and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes if changes are not made to their lifestyle and diet. If we are to prevent type 2 diabetes and better help patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes manage this condition, we need to learn more about what diabetes does to the body:

Diabetes is a chronic health condition that develops when the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin are impaired. When insulin production is impaired, the body is unable to properly digest carbohydrates, which leads to elevated blood sugar levels. Blood sugar, or “glucose,” is the necessary energy the body needs to fuel its tissues and organs. But if blood sugar is not balanced and too much builds in the bloodstream, then organs like the heart, kidneys, eyes, and nervous system can be damaged.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder that is usually diagnosed in childhood. With this condition, a person’s immune system destroys the cells within their pancreas that produce insulin. This means their body cannot make insulin to regulate blood sugar.

Type 2 diabetes usually begins in adulthood; however, more and more children are receiving diagnoses. This condition is caused both by our genes—or those medical conditions we are predisposed to inherit—and our lifestyle. Lifestyle factors that contribute to diabetes include diet, physical activity, environment, obesity, and so forth. People with type 2 diabetes still produce insulin, but their body isn’t able to use that insulin properly.

Prediabetes develops in patients with raised blood sugar levels. Prediabetes can develop into type 2 diabetes if blood sugar is not managed. Those at risk for prediabetes include individuals who have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, and are physically inactive.

Gestational diabetes is a condition diagnosed during pregnancy that is like type 2 diabetes, in that the body does not properly use insulin. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after pregnancy.

Diabetes is Personal

Diabetes all too often hits close to home. Consider Noah Hillebrandt, who was born and raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and who was diagnosed with neonatal diabetes at birth. Neonatal diabetes is a rare condition that affects the body’s ability to produce and use insulin. Noah’s parents are both in the medical field: Dr. Cole Hillebrandt is a local ER physician and Carly Hillebrandt is a nurse practitioner. Noah’s diagnosis is life changing and permanent, but his parents describe his diabetes as “a blessing” because it helps them “stay healthy and has brought [them] closer together as a family.”

Noah will be two years old in March, and he currently has an insulin monitor and insulin pump on his body at all times. He maintains a balanced diet as much as possible, with his favorite food being cauliflower pizza. Carly wants mothers of diabetic children to know that “a child needs to be a child, and this is why we have medications to help him.” Noah gets regular exercise by going to the park to run and play with his younger sister.

Common symptoms of diabetes in children include wetting the bed, always feeling thirsty, frequent urination, issues gaining weight or growing, frequent urinary tract infections, and not meeting major development milestones. Families like the Hillebrandts teach us to take special care observing how our children are developing. They also teach us that conditions like diabetes do not keep children from living full, happy lives.

What Can I Do to Lessen My Risk of Diabetes?

By making easy changes to your lifestyle, you can possibly prevent type 2 diabetes and even reverse prediabetes. Things like choosing healthier eating options, making exercise a priority, and becoming more informed about diabetes are all ways of combating this epidemic.

This November, let’s all do our part to raise awareness and help prevent diabetes. Further consider that while type 2 diabetes is preventable and prediabetes is reversible, there is still no cure for type 1 diabetes. In honor of patients like Noah, consider making a donation to JDRF, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation dedicated to turning type one into type none.

For More Information:

Cleveland Clinic, "Diabetes: An Overview"

Society for Endocrinology, "Insulin"

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