People Misreading Diabetes Danger

A new report on the state of diabetes in America shows that many patients are putting themselves at risk of serious complications from the disease.

The report looks at the results of blood sugar tests from labs in 39 states. The results covered more than 150,000 diabetes patients, from 2003 to 2004, says The Early Show medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay.

The data showed that two out of three Americans with type 2 diabetes weren't in control of their blood sugar.

And, in what Senay calls "more worrisome news," a telephone survey in conjunction with the report found that a majority of patients think they are doing a good job of controlling their blood sugar levels. That's a "real disconnect," Senay says.

Diabetes experts describe the report as a wakeup call for patients with diabetes who might be complacent about keeping their blood sugar under control, and urge patients to make a bigger effort to seek help from their doctor to improve their diabetes management.

Diabetes affects some 16 million people in the U.S., with the majority suffering from type 2, the type associated with being overweight. Type 2 develops over time, as the body loses its ability to process insulin and regulate blood sugar.

Managing diabetes requires constant monitoring, and controlling it through diet and exercise. Sometimes medication is also required.

People who fail to control their blood sugar levels put themselves at much higher risk of diabetes complications such as heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, amputations and blindness, Senay stresses.

Common risk factors contributing to diabetes are weight gain, poor diet, and a sedentary lifestyle. All can be tough habits to break for someone who's diagnosed late in life with diabetes.

Patients need to keep in mind that diabetes is a moving target, Senay points out. People who have good control of blood sugar at one point still need regular checkups from a doctor to see whether their diabetes has progressed and to see if they're still getting the right treatment. The finger-stick blood test at home is a useful tool for measuring blood sugar on a day-to-day basis, but a blood test at the doctor's office is also recommended to see how well blood sugar control is being controlled over a period of months.

Weight gain is a major contributor to type 2 diabetes, Senay notes, and doctors are seeing more and more cases of type 2 diabetes in children as a result of the obesity epidemic.

The best defense is healthy lifestyle choices, such as a good diet and regular exercise. People need to adopt a healthy lifestyle as early as possible in life to try to avoid diabetes.