Fighting Diabetes

"The Fighting Diabetes Initiative aims to advance public knowledge about Pre-Diabetes and Diabetes through educational events, increase Collaboration within initiatives, with pharmacy organizations, local and national community organizations, empower members to become diabetes educators while increasing knowledge about the disease and confidence in working with patients, and advocate for the profession through relentless efforts to increase disease awareness.

This initiative has made great strides in raising public awareness about diabetes and counseling patients with diabetes. We continue to make impact in the community through our annual Walmart/Sam’s Club Diabetes Health Fair. The main vision of this collaboration is to provide members of the community with an opportunity to learn more about the disease state, understand the associated risks and complications, and receive resources that can be used to improve their overall health. Last year, we impacted over 1,400 members of the community by hosting health fairs across the nation. SNPhA aims to reach more patients this year and continues to shed light on the disease to improve patient outcomes.

In addition to providing patient care through health fairs, the Diabetes Initiative also strives to empower students through educational webinars. These webinars range from updates on diabetes, physical fitness, healthy eating, and pharmacy career advancement. “SNPhA Gets Fit” is a campaign hosted by the initiative that promotes health and wellness for pharmacy students. As a webinar series, various health experts were invited to speak on nutrition, physical fitness, relaxation techniques, personal motivation, and accountability. As a part of SNPhA, we work hard not only to serve members of the community, but also develop student advocates for the patients we treat."

-SNPhA Official Website

Information about the Disease:

The term diabetes is the shortened version of the full name diabetes mellitus.
Diabetes mellitus is derived from the Greek word diabetes meaning siphon - to pass through and the Latin word mellitus meaning honeyed or sweet.
Diabetes is a group of metabolic disorders where there is insulin dysfunction.
Insulin is a hormone that promotes uptake of glucose into muscle and fat tissue which has the net effect of lowering blood glucose.
In Type 1 diabetes (TD1), insulin secretion is decreased, and then eventually absent. During this time, β-cells in the pancreas are being destroyed by cell-mediated immunity which halts insulin production. Patients typically present as thin and undernourished. Risk factors for T1D are genetic in nature, with the disease being mostly inherited. It has also been linked to inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.
In Type 2 diabetes (TD2), there is resistance to insulin at the receptor-level. Normally, insulin binds at its receptor and allows transfer of glucose from blood to tissue. With decreased receptor-sensitivity, insulin cannot lower blood sugar effectively, and signals the liver to produce more glucose. The pancreas responds to this high blood glucose by secreting even more insulin, but it cannot compensate fully. This endless cycle yields a persistent increase in HbA1c and fasting blood glucose. Risk factors for T2D include obesity, hypertension, high triglycerides, low HDL, chronic sedentary behavior, a positive family history, impaired glucose intolerance, and history of gestational diabetes.
Long-term complications of diabetes include nerve damage (neuropathy), eye damage (retinopathy), kidney damage (nephropathy), foot damage, limb amputations and stroke.

The Importance of Spreading Awareness:

Diabetes is an extremely prevalent health issue.
The CDC’s 2017 Diabetes Statistics Report revealed that there are 30.3 million people with Type 2 diabetes in the US. This is 9.4% of the population.
This number includes the 7.2 million people who are living with diabetes, but are not diagnosed.
Additionally, 84.1 million adults (33.9% of the adult US population) are prediabetic.
About 5% among those with diabetes are Type I.
These numbers shed tremendous importance on spreading awareness about risk factors of this disease, and strategies of management at all points of progression (esp. pre diabetics and those undiagnosed).
Spreading awareness can include educating on how T2D can be prevented or delayed with a healthy, active lifestyle. Eating diets low in processed sugar and saturated fat, being smoke-free, limiting alcohol use, managing high blood pressure, and daily physical activity are all strategies that can be communicated to people.
We can ask patients when the last had their A1C checked, and take the time to show a new diabetic how to use their glucometer, test strips, lancets, and what their numbers mean. We can take blood pressure and perform diabetic foot exams. We can also spread awareness with posters and flyers at markets where people are buying their food for the week.
By spreading awareness and providing guidance on diabetes, we can lessen the number of patients that progress on to severe diabetic health complications.
If we can educate people on the symptoms of hypoglycemia (low sugar level) and hyperglycemia (high sugar level), we can prevent many life-threatening emergencies.
Symptoms of hypoglycemia include drowsiness, pale skin, numbness, headache, anxiety and irritability.
Symptoms of hyperglycemia include nausea, drowsiness, confusion, flushed & dry skin, frequent urination & increased thirst.
Spreading awareness about factors that could contribute to high or low blood sugar levels such as certain medications, illnesses, stress and hormone deficiencies can help people understand the reason for their fluctuating sugar levels.

-A message from the Fighting Diabetes Co-Chairs Caroline Rusch and Mayuri Patel