Is your A1C high enough to get diabetes? Still serious
More than one in three people have prediabetes, which is characterized by abnormal blood sugar levels that are not yet in the diabetic range, but which still leads to a significant increase in eye, kidney, and neuropathic disease, as well as heart disease. Associated with risk of vascular death.
Additionally, the number of people with the disease is expected to double by 2030, with significantly higher prevalence among ethnic minorities, including Hispanics. Both prediabetes and diabetes are considered global epidemics.
Because prediabetes is largely underdiagnosed and undertreated, Carolina Solis Herrera, physician-scientist, associate professor, and chief of endocrinology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) The doctor received the award for the first time. Her $1.2 million award, the first of its kind, was awarded by the Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio to implement early intervention measures for the disease. It will address an important unmet need in the community.
“The goal is to establish pioneering and affordable treatments for early intervention and treatment of prediabetes and obesity, with an emphasis on the Hispanic population, and then establish a prediabetes clinic to improve diabetes management. By stopping it from progressing, we can spread it throughout our community,”’ Solis-Herrera said.
“Furthermore, we aim to utilize advanced imaging and molecular techniques to identify new therapeutic targets to treat these diseases and work towards a cure,” she said.
“Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio is honored and excited to join Dr. Solis-Herrera’s work,” said Cody Knowlton, president and CEO of the foundation. “Diabetes is a pressing concern for so many people in our service area, and we hope this research will yield clear and impactful results that can improve the future health of our communities.” Masu.”
What indicates prediabetes?
Prediabetes is indicated by a “glycated hemoglobin blood test,” commonly known as an A1C test, which provides information about your average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months. Results are reported as percentages. The higher the percentage, the higher the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the most common form.
An A1C level of 5.7% to 6.4% indicates prediabetes, and an A1C level of 6.5% or higher indicates diabetes. A combination of lifestyle changes and medication may prevent progression to type 2 diabetes in the long term. However, currently more than half of prediabetics will develop type 2 diabetes during their lifetime.
More than 37 million Americans, or about 1 in 10 people, have type 2 diabetes, and about 1 in 5 of them don’t know it. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, amputations, and dialysis worldwide, and cardiovascular events are the leading cause of death in this population. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is significantly higher among Hispanics.
But prediabetes itself is considered a serious health condition, even if your blood sugar levels aren’t high enough to cause type 2 diabetes. More than 96 million Americans have prediabetes, and an estimated 80% of them are undiagnosed. However, people with prediabetes are at significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death.
Risk factors for both prediabetes and type 2 diabetes include obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, family history, and minority ancestry. More than 41% of Americans are classified as obese. And the risk factors are greater in San Antonio and South Texas.
More than 65% of the San Antonio metropolitan population is Hispanic, and the prevalence of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes is significantly higher than in other parts of the country. Bexar County has the highest age-adjusted mortality rate for type 2 diabetes in Texas, and the cost of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes statewide is approximately $25.6 billion each year.
“Given the lack of early diagnosis and treatment, the costs of prediabetes and its complications are unknown but are expected to be much higher than type 2 diabetes,” Solis-Herrera said. said. “Additionally, the cost of treatment can also be a barrier. Therefore, affordable alternatives are needed, which will be identified through this study.”
Although multiple studies have looked at available treatments for type 2 diabetes, it’s only recently that prediabetes has received much attention, she says.
“Proactive detection and early intervention of prediabetes will significantly reduce the progression of diabetes and have a tremendous positive impact on our communities,” said Solis-Herrera. “Furthermore, by using cutting-edge research techniques, this study is the first to utilize the latest drug therapies and biomolecular tools in combination, with clear benefits uniquely focused on the Hispanic population. You will be taken care of.”
If you are interested in participating in this clinical trial, or would like to learn more about our other trials, please call us at: 210-450-9059.
