Diabetes - di·a·be·tes ('dI-&-'bEt-Ez)
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Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 million people or 6.5 percent of the population has diabetes.
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| *Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States . In addition, heart disease is the leading cause of diabetes-related deaths. |
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However, diabetes can be monitored and controlled. Eat healthy foods, check your blood sugar levels often, visit your doctor regularly, and always wear your MedicAlert emblem in case of an emergency.
The MedicAlert® Service provides:
Body Worn ID and Membership Card: Each Emblem is, engraved with a Member's personal ID number, key medical facts, and the hotline to the 24-Hour Emergency Response Center. Members also receive a Member Card.
Family Notification Service: So you're not alone in an emergency.
Live 24-Hour Response Center: MedicAlert will relay key medical facts 24/7 to emergency personnel, so the Member receives faster and safer treatment, and avoids harmful or fatal reactions.
Secure Storage and Online Access: Set-up, review and maintenance of a Member's Personal Health Record (PHR), which may be securely accessed and updated online, by phone, fax or mail at any time.
Member Privacy: MedicAlert never shares or sells Member information.
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles.**
Major Types of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes
Results from the body's failure to produce insulin, the hormone that "unlocks" the cells of the body, allowing glucose to enter and fuel them. It is estimated that 5-10% of Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes
Results from insulin resistance (a condition in which the body fails to properly use insulin), combined with relative insulin deficiency. Most Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.
Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnant women - about 135,000 cases in the United States each year.
Pre-diabetes
Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. There are 41 million Americans who have pre-diabetes, in addition to the 18.2 million with diabetes.
Many famous people, including Thomas Alva Edison, Mary Tyler Moore, and Nicole Johnson (Miss America 1999) have lived with diabetes. ** They never let diabetes conquer their ideas, hopes and dreams and are truly an inspiration to others.
If you have been diagnosed with diabetes or know of someone who is diabetic, we strongly encourage you to become a MedicAlert ® Member.
"I was traveling in Italy and had an insulin reaction and passed out. I came to in an Italian hospital where I could not speak their language and they could not speak mine - this really helped them when they called."
- Brandon D
For those times that you’re not with your loved one, MedicAlert can be there for you. That’s why you need MedicAlert.
Become a part of the most trusted medical information service. For almost 50 years, MedicAlert has been recognized as the world’s preeminent source of personal medical information during medical emergencies.
Three easy ways to join! Do it now!
Click here to enroll online
Call 1-800-ID-ALERT™ (1-800-432-5378)
Click here to print PDF order form
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