November is Diabetes Awareness Month and World Diabetes Day is on Nov. 14 – the birthdate of the famous Canadian insulin pioneer, Dr. Frederick Banting.
More than nine million Canadians are living with diabetes or pre-diabetes. If left untreated or poorly managed, diabetes can lead to complications such as heart disease, kidney disease, impotence, and nerve damage.
While medications can help manage diabetes and avoid complications, there is no cure. Early detection and management is invaluable for a person’s long-term health.
Are you at risk for diabetes?
The Public Health Agency of Canada’s CANRISK questionnaire is quick and simple. It identifies your risk of having type 2 diabetes.
The questionnaire is intended for adults aged 40 to 74 years, though it may also be applied to younger persons with apparent risk factors like being overweight or from non-Caucasian ethnic groups.
Risk factors associated with developing type 2 diabetes
– Being 40 years of age or older;
– Being in a high-risk group (Aboriginal, Hispanic, Asian, South Asian or African descent);
– Having a close relative (parent or sibling) with type 2 diabetes;
– A history of gestational diabetes, pre-diabetes or evidence of complications due to diabetes (such as eye, nerve or kidney problems);
– Heart disease, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol;
– Being overweight (especially around the abdomen); and
– Having given birth to a baby that weighed over 4kg (9lbs) at birth.
If you have any of these risk factors, contact your healthcare provider and get checked for diabetes. The sooner you are aware of having diabetes, the sooner you can manage it and improve your health.
submitted by Rachel Luther, owner/pharmacist of Centre Wellington Remedy’s RX, 855 St David St. N, Fergus, 226-383-9461
