National American diabetes Association Alert Day is always the fourth Tuesday in March. This year, it falls on March 28. The American Diabetes Association wants everyone to be alert. It is on Diabetes Alert Day that attention is brought to the disease. Most Americans are at risk for Type 2 diabetes.
An estimated eight million Americans with diabetes have not been diagnosed. Nine out of 10 people with pre-diabetes don’t know they have it. Could you be one of them?
Type 2 diabetes
Diabetes Alert Day is an annual day to bring attention to Type 2 diabetes.
It is the day when there is a nationwide call to awareness and action, according to Deanie Eldridge, executive director in Virginia. When people know they have diabetes, they can get medical treatment. Unless they know about this, they won't be helped.
On Diabetes Alert Day, take the online risk test that is free and available to all. It is found at diabetes.org/risktest. The online risk test is in both English and Spanish. The test can be taken in only one minute. All you have to do is to answer a few short questions about your lifestyle, risk factors, age, gender and activity level. Participants will get a score ranging from 1 to 10. That numerical score will identify the overall risk. The test score will encourage those at risk to see a doctor.
About the disease
It is so important to know about diabetes so it can be treated. The danger is that the disease can cause complications that are just as serious. Some of the results include heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, amputation, and sometimes death. Therefore, early detection will lead to getting the proper treatment from your doctor who will prescribe medications and put you on a management plan.
You do not have to wait until Tuesday, March 28 to take the one-minute test to find out if you are at risk. It is available at any time. The National American Diabetes Association wants you to be healthy. The first step is to find out your risk score so the necessary steps can be taken.
