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As the United States surpasses 250,000 deaths from COVID-19, its worth noting that people with diabetes account for roughly 40% of that morbidity,according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The news is not all bad. By eatingright and keeping your body active, diabetes often can be avoided and even sentinto remission, says Dr. John Smith, lead medical director atBlue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.

In recognition of National DiabetesMonth, Dr. Smith agreed to discuss some of the factors associated with diabetes a chronic disease that disproportionately affects Black and Latino residents.

What is Diabetes?

Dr. Smith:Diabetes is a condition where your blood sugar levels are high. There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 is when your body does not make insulin; Type 2, also called adult-onset diabetes, is when the insulin in your body does not perform the task that it should, which is to lower the blood sugar level. This is the most common type of diabetes.

Fact:34.2 million U.S. adults have diabetes; about 7.3 million are undiagnosed. An estimated 88 million adults have pre-diabetes. In total about, 122 million Americans livewithdiabetesor prediabetes (37% of the U.S. population), according to the American Diabetes Association and theCenter for Disease Control. In North Carolina, about 1 million people (12.% of adults) have diabetes. Approximately, 50,000 adults are newly diagnosed with diabetes each year.

What is a normal level of bloodsugar?

Smith:Normally, your blood sugar is somewhere between 80 and140 mg/dL, but it can vary based on your health conditions. It also can varybased on what youve eaten or when you last ate. If your doctor has asked youto fast before your diabetes test which means you wont eat anything for atleast eight hours before the test then your blood sugar levels should be lessthan 100.

What are the common symptoms fordiabetes?

Smith:Symptoms of diabetes may include blurred vision, weight loss, increased thirst and increased hunger. These are not specific for diabetes, but if you have any of those symptoms with a blood sugar level over 200, thats indicative of diabetes.

Why is diabetes so harmful?

Smith:Over time, if you have elevated blood sugars, it can damage your organs. It can cause heart disease, increase your risk for strokes, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney failure, and damage to the nerves (neuropathy). It also can cause gastroparesis, a condition in which your stomach does not move food to the intestines in a normal fashion. In men, it can cause erectile dysfunction. It can also increase your risk of lower limb amputations and death.

The CDC reports that 40% of thepeople who have died from COVID-19 also had diabetes. What accounts for thathigh percentage?

Smith:At this point, theres not enough evidence to say thatpeople with diabetes are more likely to get COVID-19. But if you do have diabetesand you also get COVID-19, then its typically more severe and you are morelikely to have complications. Severe complications are more likely if yourblood sugar isnt controlled or if you have multiple underlying conditions,such as diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure.

If you fall into the category of being an essential worker and you have diabetes, its important that you make good lifestyle choices and exercise. Its also important that you follow CDC guidance in terms of wearing a face mask, practice social distancing, and wash your hands frequently. Its also important to remember that now as COVID-19 will be occurring during flu season, that some of the same preventive measures used for COVID-19 (such as hand washing and distancing) also will help to reduce your risk of getting the flu.

How is diabetes treated?

Smith:The foundation treatment for diabetes is healthyeating and exercising. Eating healthy means eating more fruits, vegetables,lean proteins, whole grains foods that have high nutritional value and fiberbut are low in fat and calories. Typically, you want to limit saturated fats orrefined carbohydrates starchy foods such as mashed potatoes and macaroni andcheese. You also want to limit sweets.

Exercise is also important due to it moving the sugar out of the bloodstream into the cells, where it can be used as energy. Even moderate exercise can reduce your risk for complications from diabetes. You need to choose an exercise you enjoy, like walking, swimming or biking, because you will be more likely to stick with it. You should talk with your health care provider before you begin an exercise program to ensure that your heart and body are healthy enough to exercise.

If diet and exercise do not adequatelycontrol blood sugars, medications (pills or injections) may be used. Some people may benefit from bariatricsurgery. Just because you are on medications or have bariatric surgery, theyare not a substitute for a healthy diet or exercise. Diet and exercise wouldstill be the cornerstone of treatment.

Why are African Americansdisproportionately impacted by diabetes?

Smith:There are several factors:

Diet. People of color often have whats calleda Southern diet lots of fried foods, desserts and other foods that dontnecessarily have the best nutritional value.

Obesity. In North Carolina, the obesity rate is about 38.1%, but for Black people, its about 41.3%.

Family history is another riskfactor; we think there probably is some genetic component.

Access to health care. When you lookat patients who dont go to the doctor, lack of insurance is sometimes thebarrier. Black people are about one-half times more likely to not haveinsurance compared to White people.

Food deserts. Black people are more likely to live in what we call food deserts, which are communities where its hard to get fresh fruit, vegetables or other helpful whole foods.

Fact:Compared to non-Hispanic Whites, Blacks and Latinosare 50% more likely to be diagnosed withdiabetes.

Who should be screened for diabetes?

Smith:The American Diabetes Association has established several guidelines for screening: Anyone with a body-mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher should be tested. Additional risk factors for which you should be screened include being over the age of 45, high blood pressure, heart disease or high cholesterol levels, physical inactivity, first-degree relatives (parent, brother, or sister) who have been diagnosed with diabetes

So, it sounds like diabetes can beavoided.

Smith:For the most part, it can be avoided. About 70% of therisk factors for diabetes are due to lifestyle choices. If you can make healthylifestyle choices (follow a good diet and exercise), diabetes can be avoided inmost cases. And if not prevented, it can be controlled.

Any final thoughts or advice?

Smith:Its much better to prevent diabetes than to treat it. Its not easy to lose weight, and maintaining a healthy weight, even with regular exercise, is hard; but it certainly is worth it because we all want to be healthy and enjoy life.

If you have diabetes, you do not have to try to control it all my yourself. There aremany resourcesavailable to you, whether its from your health care provider or the American Diabetes Association.

Fact: About 53,000 NC residents are diagnosed with diabetes eachyear.

Dr. John Smith is a NC Physician andLead Medical Director at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BlueCross NC). He has over 17 years of clinical practice experience as a familypractitioner working in a variety of care settings, including a hospital and a communityhealth center, and a group model HMO model. He also has 14 years of experiencein utilization management, appeals and provider network quality at Blue CrossNC. He led the provider (physician and facility) tiering program for quality,cost, and efficiency from 2015-2020.Dr. Smith serves as a co-chair for the NationalQuality Forum (NQF) Neurology Workgroup and was a member of the NC Institute ofMedicine (NCIOM) Serious Illness Workgroup in 2019. He is now a member of the NCSerious Illness (NCSI) Coalition.

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Diabetes: Facts you should know in the era of COVID-19 - Q City Metro - Qcity metro

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Home » How to lose weight safely » Diabetes: Facts you should know in the era of COVID-19 – Q City Metro – Qcity metro