E-mail: tnorton@sedgwick.gov
February 6, 2012
A couple weeks ago I was able to attend the Kansas Diabetes
Action Council's 2012 semi-annual meeting and workshop in Topeka. I continue to
be extremely interested in issues affecting public health, their causes and the
work that is being done to address them. Diabetes is certainly one of those
issues.
Along with the expert speakers and informational materials, I also got to
interface with professionals in the health care field who deal with the
devastating effects of diabetes every day. Some of the numbers and data are
staggering. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment produced the “Burden
of Diabetes in Kansas” document in December 2011. The insightful document is
filled with facts and comparisons concerning the increasing incidence of
diabetes in the state of Kansas.
Diabetes is a common chronic condition marked by elevated levels of sugar in the
blood. Diabetes is a serious condition that can lead to devastating
complications, such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, lower
extremity amputation and premature death. Managing diabetes is complex and
costly, requiring a coordinated effort on the part of the person with diabetes,
medical care providers, specialists, clinical and public health systems and the
community. Complications of diabetes can be prevented through early detection
and appropriate clinical management.
Here are some of the key findings of the report:
- In 2009, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in Kansas.
- Age-adjusted diabetes mortality rates in Kansas were significantly higher among Hispanics, African-Americans, and Native Americans as compared to non-Hispanic whites.
- About 179,000 Kansas adults age 18 and older (8.4 percent) were diagnosed with diabetes in 2010.
- The prevalence of diabetes was significantly higher among those with lower annual household income and lower levels of education.
- The prevalence of diabetes was higher among Kansan adults living with a disability.
- In 2010, nearly half of all persons living with end-stage renal failure had diabetes listed as the primary diagnosis.
The increasing trend in diabetes prevalence during the period
from 2001 through 2010 was mirrored by increases in the prevalence of obesity,
high blood pressure, and high blood cholesterol among those tested. The
purpose of the report and annual meeting was to characterize the burden of
diabetes in Kansas and to continue to heighten the awareness and public
conversation about its growing and costly effects on the state of Kansas and its
general public health. As a Board of Health member, I consider it
imperative that I am educated and knowledgeable of the public health threats in
Sedgwick County and the actions needed to educate the citizenry and promote a
different outcome than the most recent trends indicate. That is all for
this week. Thanks for letting me get a word in edgewise. tn