Vital Signs Volume 11, Issue 3 | Page 2

Vital Signs Vital Signs is brought to you by the physicians of the Greater Louisville Medical Society. It is a free health and wellness publication intended for educating patients on important medical health topics. THE DIABETES EPIDEMIC: Things You Should Know Vital Signs Team David Watkins, MD Vital Signs Adviser Bert Guinn, MBA, CAE Executive Vice-President/CEO Cheri K. McGuire Director of Marketing type 2 Aaron Burch GLMS Communications Specialist Kate Williams GLMS Communications Designer McKenna Byerley Public Relations Associate GLMS Mission Promote the science, art and profession of medicine; Protect the integrity of the patient-physician relationship; Advocate for the health and well-being of the community; Unite physicians regardless of practice setting to achieve these ends. Notice Vital Signs is published by the Greater Louisville Medical Society, 101 W. Chestnut St. Louisville, KY 40202 Phone [phone] Fax [phone] www.glms.org For more information, contact Aaron Burch at [phone] or [email protected]. Type 2 diabetes has become an epidemic of sorts in the United States. Statistics from the Center for Disease Control’s National Diabetes Fact Sheet shows that diabetes affects nearly 1 out of every 10 people living in the U.S., 9.1 percent, and that number is higher in Kentucky with 10.6 percent of our population diagnosed with the disease. Nationwide, the percentage of people living with diabetes or prediabetes is near a staggering 50 percent. Unchecked diabetes is the 7th most prominent cause of death here in the U.S., as well as the leading cause of blindness and kidney failure. It also increases fatality rates due to other causes and cardiovascular events. As our nation continues to over-eat and overdrink, the number of diabetes cases is estimated to increase by as much as 20 percent each decade from 2020 to 2050. Type 2 diabetes is one of the greatest health challenges facing our nation. To learn more, GLMS spoke with Dr. Fred Williams, a practicing endocrinologist with KentuckyOne Health Endocrinology and Diabetes Associates. Dr. Williams has practiced endocrinology since 1983 and has seen national and state trends worsen year by year. If you’re concerned that you or someone you know may have diabetes or prediabetes symptoms, please contact your physician. Thank you Dr. Williams for explaining more about type 2 diabetes and other forms of diabetes for the health of our readers. Vital Signs is underwritten by: Have you enjoyed reading Vital Signs? Get healthy tweets by following @VitalSigns2Go on Twitter. FIND US ON TWITTER OR TEXT Copyright 2016 The Greater Louisville Medical Society. All rights reserved. 2 @VitalSigns2Go follow VitalSigns2Go TO 40404. VITAL SIGNS Volume 11 • Issue 3