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♦ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2007
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Diabetes: A special risk for women
Special to the Journal
Having diabetes increas
es a woman’s risk of heart
attack, congestive heart
failure and other heart con
ditions almost two to four
times,” explains Jody Velie,
MD, family practitioner
and member of the medi
cal staff of-Perry Hospital.
“Heart disease, the leading
cause of death in people with
diabetes, is more serious for
women than for men.”
According to the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration,
diabetic women are 23 per
cent more likely to die from
heart disease than non-dia
betic women, and diabetic
women are more likely to die
from a first heart attack than
men with diabetes. Women
with diabetes also tend to
have higher blood pressure
and lower levels of HDL, or
“good” cholesterol, than non
diabetic women.
For women, diabetes also
increases the risk of osteo
porosis, the condition that
causes bones to shrink and
become brittle and break.
“If a woman has diabetes,
it is in her best interest to
work closely with her phy
sician to control her blood
sugar and her bone density
to reduce her risk of osteopo
rosis,” says Dr. Velie.
Diabetes increases a wom
an’s risk of uterine cancer
as well as her risk of cer
vical cancer, breast cancer
and other malignant tumors.
Diabetic women with a his
tory of irregular menstrual
cycles, infertility, hyperten
sion, obesity, polycystic ovar
ian disease and any other
cancer of the reproductive
organs are at an increased
risk for developing uterine
cancer.
“The good news about uter
ine cancer is that it is almost
always curable if diagnosed
early,” explains Dr. Velie.
“However, the diagnosis fre
quently depends on the wom
an’s ability to recognize the
signs of the disease, which
can be subtle, and report
them to her physician.”
Risk Factors and Causes of
Diabetes in Women
Many of the risk factors for
diabetes affect both women
and men including:
■ Family history - individ
uals with a history of diabe
tes in their family are at an
increased risk of developing
the condition.
■ Race - certain races are
more likely to develop a spe
cific type of diabetes than
others. For example, African
Americans, Hispanics, Native
Americans and Asians are
more likely to develop Type
2 diabetes while Caucasians
have higher rates of Type 1
diabetes.
■ Obesity - overweight
or obese individuals have
an increased risk of devel
oping Type 2 diabetes.
Approximately 80 percent of
people diagnosed with Type 2
diabetes are considered to be
overweight or obese.
■ Physical activity - poor
exercise habits and little ,or
no physical activity increases
a person’s chances of devel
oping Type 2 diabetes.
■ Smoking and alcohol
both increase a person’s risk
of developing Type 2 diabe
tes.
One risk factor for dia
betes that is unique to
women is polycystic ovar
ian syndrome, a genetically
complex hormonal disorder
that causes irregular men
strual cycles, excessive hair
growth and obesity. PCOS
typically appears during ado
lescence, but it may not be
diagnosed until later in a
woman’s life when she has
difficulty becoming preg
nant. Considered to be the
most common hormonal dis
order in women of reproduc
tive age in the United States,
PCOS is considered a major
Houston Healthcare's Diabetes
Management Program
In an effort to improve the lives
of individuals with diabetes in the
Houston County area, Houston
Healthcare offers its nationally
recognized Outpatient Diabetes
Management Program which includes
diet instruction classes for diabetics,
an exercise program for adults with
diabetes, a self-management diabetes
education course, and a diabetes pre
vention educational series.
Nationally recognized by the
American Diabetes Association,
risk factor for the develop
ment of Type 2 diabetes in
women because it increases a
woman’s level of androgens,
or male hormones.
“The increased levels of
androgens can lead to fertili
ty problems and the develop
ment of insulin resistance,”
explains Dr. Velie. With insu
lin resistance, the body’s
muscle, fat and liver cells do
not use insulin properly caus
ing the pancreas to produce
more insulin. Eventually, the
pancreas cannot keep up with
the body’s need for insulin,
and excess glucose builds up
in the bloodstream.
“Many people with insulin
resistance have high levels of
blood glucose and blood insu
lin at the same time which
puts them at an increased
risk for developing Type 2
diabetes or gestational diabe
tes,” she adds.
Signs and Symptoms of
Diabetes in Women
With Type 2 diabetes, the
symptoms can take longer
to develop with some people
experiencing only mild symp
toms or none at all. Because
of its slow progression, it
is important for women at
risk for Type 2 diabetes to
be aware of the symptoms
which include:
■ Frequent urination
■ Excessive thirst
■ Extreme hunger
■ Unexplained weight loss
■ Increased fatigue
■ Irritability
■ Blurry vision
■ Slow-healing sores
■ Frequent infections
including yeast infections,
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urinary tract infections, skin
infections and thrush
■ Dry, itchy skin
■ Numbness or tingling in
the hands or feet
■ Red, swollen or tender
gums
“It’s not uncommon
for a person to have Type
2 diabetes for 10 years or
more before they are diag
nosed,” comments Dr. Velie.
“Symptoms can also vary
from person to person and
can be caused by other con
ditions. Women experienc
ing any of the symptoms for
Type 2 diabetes should see
a physician for proper diag
nosis.”
Prevention Methods for
Diabetes in Women
Research shows that mak
ing certain lifestyle changes
can prevent or slow the devel
opment of Type 2 diabetes in
women at risk of developing
the disease. Common life
style changes include:
■ Eating a healthy diet
low in fat and sugar and high
in fiber
■ Losing excess body
weight and maintaining a
healthy weight
■ Exercising regularly to
help lower blood sugar lev
els and help the body use
insulin
■ Controlling cholesterol
levels and high blood pres
sure
■ Reducing or eliminating
alcohol intake
■ Stopping smoking or not
starting to smoke because
smoking raises blood pres
sure and blood sugar levels
One possible prevention
Urgent Care...
when you need it.
Houston Healthcare’s Diabetes “In
Control” Courses teaches individuals
how to better control their diabetes
by maintaining blood glucose levels.
Designed for adults age i 8 and older
with either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes,
the program includes an individual
assessment with a Certified Diabetes
Educator and diet instruction followed
by classes designed to equip the indi
vidual with the skills to better control
their diabetes. Participants must be
referred by their physician and remain
under the medical care of their physi
cian for the duration of the program.
method that only women can
do is breastfeeding. Results
from the Nurses’ Health
Study showed that breast
feeding has a protective
effect on women at risk for
developing Type 2 diabetes.
According to the study, a
woman can reduce her risk
of developing Type 2 diabe
tes by 15 percent for each
year that she breastfeeds
her child despite other risk
factors she may have such
as weight, diet, exercise and
smoking.
The study also showed
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Individuals with pre-diabetes can
also learn how to prevent or delay
their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes
through Houston Healthcare’s Small
Steps diabetes prevention program.
The course provides at-risk individu
als with the information they need to
make appropriate lifestyle changes to
reduce their risk for developing Type
2 diabetes.
For more information on Houston
Healthcare’s Outpatient Diabetes
Management Program and to register
for classes, call 923-9771 or visit www.
hhc.org.
that for each year a woman
breastfed her baby without
using supplementary formu
COMPREHENSIVE
HEARING HEALTHCARE
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Sheri Marshall
M.S.
Licensed Audiologist
/ HIGHLY DEDICATED AND
EXPERIENCED STAFF
S DOCTORS REFER TO US OFTEN
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EXPERIENCE OF 50 YEARS
Hilary Kate Ellwood, MD
Board Certified, American
Academy of Family Medicine
Kimberley R. Ham, MD
Board Certified, American
Academy of Family Medicine
Cynthia M. Jones, MD
Board Certified, American
Board of Family Medicine
Gayatri Kamat, MD
Board Certified, American
Board of Internal Medicine
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Hearing Associates, Inc.
302 Margie Drive, Warner Robins, GA
la reduced her risk of devel
oping diabetes even more.
“These results illustrate
the remarkable health ben
efits a woman can reap from
breastfeeding,” says Dr.
Velie. “We know the tremen
dous benefits breastfeed
ing has for infants for their
health and brain develop
ment, but this study shows
that breastfeeding can also
offer the mother protection
from serious, life-threaten
ing diseases. Earlier studies
have indicated the benefits
of breastfeeding in reducing
a woman’s risk of breast and
ovarian cancer and now dia
betes.”
S FULL DIAGNOSTIC
TESTING
S HEARING AID
MANAGEMENT
“Better Hearing For Better Living"
478-953-2705
Mon. - Fri. 9-5 * Open 1 Sat per Mo. by Appt
Barbara A. Matthews, MD
Board Certified, American
Board of Family Medicine
Jodie Velie, MD
Board Eligible, American
Board of Family Practice
Ferial Walid, MD
Board Certified, American
Board of Family Medicine
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