Atrium Health Navicent Calls Attention to Diabetes on National Alert Day
Atrium Health Navicent Diabetes Healthways encourages individuals to learn more about diabetes and ways of combatting the chronic disease by observing National Diabetes Alert Day on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.
Diabetes, a condition affecting an estimated 537 million people worldwide, is a metabolic disease in which the body is unable to produce enough insulin to regulate glucose levels in the bloodstream. Many cases of diabetes go undiagnosed. If left untreated, diabetes can lead to serious and life-threatening conditions including blindness, heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and amputation.
National Diabetes Alert Day
• Tuesday, March 22, 2022
• The American Diabetes Association has dedicated this day to encouraging Americans to take a Type 2 Diabetes risk test.
• Visit www.diabetes.org/risk-test to determine your risk for Type 2 Diabetes.
“National Diabetes Alert Day is a great reminder of the importance of knowing your status. Approximately 96 million American adults, more than 1 in 3, have prediabetes. If you do have higher than normal blood sugar, lifestyle changes can help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes and other health conditions,” said Dr. Anusha Ramadhas, an internal medicine, endocrinology diabetes & metabolism doctor with Atrium Health Navicent. “If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, Atrium Health Navicent Diabetes Healthways can help you learn how to better manage your blood sugar and live your best life.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 37.3 million Americans have diabetes. That’s 11.3 percent of the population. In central Georgia, 17.2 percent of adults have reported being diagnosed with diabetes. Between 2016 and 2018, there was an annual average diabetes mortality rate of 19.5 deaths per 100,000 people, with numbers significantly higher in Peach and Baldwin counties. Diagnosed cases of diabetes are surging among youth in the United States. From 2001 to 2017, the number of people under age 20 living with Type 1 diabetes increased by 45 percent, and the number living with Type 2 diabetes grew by 95 percent.
For more information about Atrium Health Navicent Diabetes Healthways, call 478-633-1531.
About Atrium Health Navicent Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of healthcare in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and wellbeing through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. Throughout its 125-year history in the community, Atrium Health Navicent has remained dedicated to enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. It is also one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation. For more information, please visit www.NavicentHealth.org.