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Throughout November,
members of the pediatric and adult
endocrinology clinics recognized National
Diabetes Awareness Month.
In observance of World Diabetes Day on
Nov. 14, clinic staff members dressed in
blue and the hospital's North Tower was
lit blue to commemorate the day. The event
highlighted the prevalence of diabetes, as
well as the impact of diabetes across an
individual's lifespan.
 The
pediatric endocrinology team holds up
blue shoes, which are part of the
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
fundraising effort. Visit www.muschealth.com/diabetes/index.htm
or call 792-9200.
According to the American Diabetes
Association, approximately 26 million
people in the United States have diabetes.
One in 400 children will be diagnosed with
Type 1 diabetes, previously referred to as
juvenile diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an
autoimmune condition in which an
individual's pancreas fails to produce
insulin. There is currently no cure for
Type 1 diabetes and patients are insulin
dependent, often needing multiple daily
injections of insulin.
The MUSC Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic
sees approximately 100 newly diagnosed
patients with diabetes each year. The
clinic also has seen a large portion of
pediatric patients diagnosed with Type 2
diabetes, which is consistent with
national and statewide data showing
increasing rates of childhood obesity. At
MUSC, approximately 20 percent of new
onset childhood diabetes patients have
Type 2 diabetes. Overall, the pediatric
endocrinology clinic has approximately 650
patients with diabetes. Many individuals
associate diabetes with adulthood, and
that continues to be a lack of knowledge
of Type 1 diabetes.
According to Jessica Credeur, social
worker in the pediatric endocrinology
clinic, parents of children with Type 1
are often frustrated with the community's
lack of knowledge of Type 1 diabetes. They
often receive comments from friends and
family telling them their child will grow
out of the diagnosis or no longer be
insulin dependent if they change their
diet or lifestyle.
The clinic facilitates support groups and
social outings for families of children
with diabetes, as this allows them to
network with and find support among other
parents of children with Type 1 diabetes.
The clinic also supports Juvenile Diabetes
Research Foundation fundraising and
advocacy efforts. To meet the growing
number of adolescent patients with
diabetes transitioning to the adult
medical care setting, Katherine Lewis,
M.D., who is trained in pediatric and
adult endocrinology, developed a
transition program. Lewis works alongside
the clinic social worker, as well as other
clinic staff, to assist adolescent
patients who are transitioning to adult
medical care settings. Transition program
patients are provided with age-specific
goals and homework during their clinic
visits. The clinic also is participating
in two multicenter National Institutes of
Health funded research studies: SEARCH for
Diabetes in Youth, which examines the
incidence of diabetes, and
TrialNet-Natural History Study of the
Development of Type 1 diabetes. Deborah
Bowlby, M.D., division chief for the
pediatric endocrinology department, is the
principal investigator for both studies.
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention estimated that in 2010 there
were approximately 364,000 adults (18 and
older) diagnosed with diabetes in South
Carolina.
The three counties closest to MUSC,
(Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester),
have approximately 118,300 people or 32.5
percent of South Carolina's population
with diabetes. The adult endocrine clinic
in 2012 had 1,885 patient visits with
diabetes.
According to the 2011 National Diabetes
Fact Sheet, there are an estimated 90 to
95 percent of newly diagnosed people with
Type 2 diabetes as opposed to those with
Type 1 diabetes. The prevalence of
diabetes is on the rise and the southern
United States has more diabetes than other
parts of the region. Steps for the
prevention of diabetes include weight loss
and getting more physical activity as
shown by The Diabetes Prevention Program.
This study focused on people at high risk
for diabetes, and results showed that
lifestyle intervention to lose weight and
increase physical activity reduced the
development of Type 2 diabetes by 58
percent during a three-year period.
The MUSC Adult Endocrinology Clinic has a
certified diabetic educator (CDE) to help
patients maintain a healthy life with
education on glucose monitoring, diet,
exercise, taking medication, problem
solving, reducing health risks and healthy
coping.
The adult endocrine clinic also has the
IDEAL (Intensive Diabetes Education and
Awareness Lifestyle) program, an intensive
management program to help manage
difficult diabetes that involves the
doctor, nurse practitioner, dietitian and
CDE during one visit.
Patients with diabetes, with the help from
their health care professional, can lead a
healthy life.
Friday, Dec.
7, 2012
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