King County partners with The American Diabetes Association (ADA)

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is proud to partner with King County and its 14,000 employees to prevent and manage diabetes in the workplace.  This partnership is part of our Winning at Work program which helps employers to detect, prevent and manage diabetes in the workplace. The ADA provides comprehensive tools and resources to help employers achieve success in each of these areas.

In 2009, the ADA is offering employers a limited number of free health screenings as part of our I Decide to Fight Diabetes Days (ID Days) campaign.  A free Winning at Work Passport will be provided to employees attending ID Days including King County’s ID Day on April 2.  The passports include links to free online tools and community events including Diabetes Expo on April 18, Tour de Cure on May 17 and Step Out Walk to Fight Diabetes on October 10.

Diabetes is a serious disease affecting nearly 24 million Americans nationwide.  Almost one-quarter of those affected by diabetes are not aware that they have the disease.  In addition, approximately 963,000 Washingtonians and 57 million American’s have pre-diabetes, which means that their blood glucose (sugar) is higher than normal.  Without intervention, individuals with pre-diabetes are at a much higher risk for developing diabetes.

Diabetes prevalence has more than doubled among King County residents during the past decade, with nearly 6 percent of the population now suffering from the disease.  About 84,000 people in King County have been diagnosed with the often-debilitating illness, 13,400 others are on the borderline, and many more don't know they have it.
The national cost of diabetes in the U.S. in 2007 exceeded $174 billion. This estimate includes $116 billion in excess medical expenditures attributed to diabetes, as well as $58 billion in reduced national productivity. People with diagnosed diabetes, on average, have medical expenditures that are approximately 2.3 times higher than the expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes. Approximately $1 in $10 health care dollars is attributed to diabetes. Indirect costs include increased factors such as absenteeism, reduced productivity, and lost productive capacity due to early mortality.  The American Diabetes Association report "Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2007" describes the methods used to determine the national cost estimates.  The report can be found at the ADA’s web site: www.diabetes.org/cost.

Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic diseases in the U.S. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 – 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.  Among the primary risk factors for type 2 diabetes are being overweight, sedentary, over the age of 45 and having a family history of diabetes.  Native Americans, Hispanics, African Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have a higher incidence rate for diabetes.

Although type 2 diabetes is often preventable with lifestyle modifications and medications, many do not realize they are at high risk for the disease. In fact, people with type 2 diabetes can live for years without realizing that they have it, and develop serious complications, such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, eye damage and nerve damage that can lead to amputations.  Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5% to 10% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. Risk factors for type 1 diabetes may be autoimmune, genetic, or environmental. There is no known way to prevent type 1 diabetes.

Diabetes can lead to serious complications, such as blindness, kidney damage, cardiovascular disease, and lower-limb amputations, but people with diabetes can lower the occurrence of these and other diabetes complications by controlling blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood lipids.

Many people with type 2 diabetes can control their blood glucose by following a healthy meal plan and exercise program, losing excess weight, and taking oral medication. Some people with type 2 diabetes may also need insulin to control their blood glucose.

Many people with diabetes also need to take medications to control their cholesterol and blood pressure.  To survive, people with type 1 diabetes must have insulin delivered by injection or a pump.
Self-management education or training is a key step in improving health outcomes and quality of life. It focuses on self-care behaviors, such as healthy eating, being active, and monitoring blood sugar. It is a collaborative process in which diabetes educators help people with or at risk for diabetes gain the knowledge and problem-solving and coping skills needed to successfully self-manage the disease and its related conditions.

Prediabetes is a condition in which individuals have blood glucose levels higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. People with prediabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.  People with prediabetes have impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Some people have both IFG and IGT.  IFG is a condition in which the fasting blood sugar level is 100 to 125 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) after an overnight fast. This level is higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes.  IGT is a condition in which the blood sugar level is 140 to 199 mg/dL after a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test. This level is higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes.

Progression to diabetes among those with prediabetes is not inevitable. Studies have shown that people with prediabetes who lose weight and increase their physical activity can prevent or delay diabetes and return their blood glucose levels to normal. In the Diabetes Prevention Program, a large prevention study of people at high risk for diabetes showed that lifestyle intervention reduced developing diabetes by 58% over 3 years.  The reduction was even greater, 71%, among adults aged 60 years or older. Interventions to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in individuals with prediabetes can be feasible and cost-effective. Research has found that lifestyle interventions are more cost-effective than medications.