NOVEMBER IS DIABETES AWARENESS MONTH

NEW CITY, NY - - Rockland County Executive Ed Day and County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert announce that November is Diabetes Awareness Month, the perfect time to learn more about type 2 diabetes and how to prevent or delay the onset.

Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes, is a chronic disease in which there are high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. It is caused by a problem in the way your body makes or uses the hormone insulin. Diabetes can damage many parts of the body, including the heart, eyes, kidneys, and nerves.

Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they usually have "prediabetes." That means their blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be called diabetes. People with prediabetes are more likely to develop diabetes within 10 years and they are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke.

Prediabetes and diabetes can be diagnosed in any one of three ways, based on the results of any of these tests:

• Hemoglobin A1C test (A1C) is a blood test that provides information about a person's average levels of blood glucose over the past 3 months. A normal result is less than 5.7%, prediabetes is in the range of 5.7% to 6.4%, and diabetes is 6.5% or higher.
• Fasting plasma glucose test (FPG) is a blood test that measures glucose after a person has not eaten for at least 8 hours. A normal result is less than 100 mg/dl, prediabetes is in the range of 100 mg/dl to 125 mg/dl, and diabetes is 126 mg/dl or higher.
• Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is a blood test that measures glucose after a person has not eaten for 8 hours, and 2 hours after that person has had a glucose-containing drink. A normal result is less than 140 mg/dl, prediabetes is in the range of 140 mg/dl to 199 mg/dl, and diabetes is 200 mg/dl or higher.

Call the Health Department at (845) 364-2651 or visit http://bit.ly/2fgDdA8 and take the Type 2 Diabetes Risk Test. If your score shows you are at risk for type 2 diabetes, or if you have been diagnosed with prediabetes by your health care provider, you may be eligible to take part in the Rockland County Department of Health's free, highly successful, National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP). "It is a proven way to prevent diabetes by making small lifestyle changes, such as eating healthy foods, losing 5-7% of your body weight and learning to keep it off, and being more physically active," said Dr. Ruppert.

The Health Department will offer a National Diabetes Prevention Program, in Spanish, in February 2018, and a program in English will begin in the Spring of 2018. The Health Department will also offer the Living Well with Diabetes Program in the Spring of 2018. This free program is for those who have type 2 diabetes and want to learn how to better manage their symptoms to take better control of their health. Call (845) 364-2651 for more information about these programs. They are open to all who live, work, or attend school in Rockland County.

Talk to your health care provider or visit the American Diabetes Association website at http://bit.ly/1Ojs3EQ for more information about type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.