Forum discusses rise of diabetes

About the Panelists

We’ve all heard it before… eat right and exercise. For many of us, that means grab a bag of chips and vegetate on the couch watching sports on TV. As a result, obseity rates are skyrocketing -- and so is the incidence of diabetes. Sixteen million people in the United States have diabetes, and 5 million don’t even know it. One American dies from diabetes-related complications every three minutes. Native Americans, Latinos, and African-Americans have the highest incidence in the nation.

Diabetes is the leading cause of adult blindness, kidney failure, and non-traumatic amputations. It’s a leading cause of nerve damage, stroke, and heart attacks. Those with diabetes lose on average 15 years of life.

What are the symptoms? What are other risk factors? What can you do to help your family? Spokane Public Radio heard experiences and answered questions about this disease at “The Dangers of Diabetes” March 20, 2002. It is still occasionally shown on City Cable 5 television.

News Director Doug Nadvornick moderated the panel discussion, which featured five local health professionals to talk about what area medical centers and groups are doing to combat the disease. Some of these panelists are well-respected in the international diabetes field.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes concerns a problem with insulin, a hormone that helps cells take in the sugar they need. In Type 1 diabetes (also called juvenile diabetes), the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin are destroyed. People with Type 1 need to take insulin for the rest of their lives, to make sure their body’s energy needs are met. Approximately 10 percent of people with diabetes have Type 1.

People with Type 2, or adult onset diabetes, continue to produce insulin. However, their bodies aren’t able to use it effectively. Perhaps not enough is produced. Most often, the amounts and types of food eaten results in excessive amounts of insulin, leading to the complications of diabetes and heart disease.

A third type of diabetes, gestational diabetes, is a temporary condition that occurs during pregnancy. It affects two to four percent of all pregnancies and involves an increased risk of developing diabetes for both mother and child.

In February, the National Institutes of Health released the results of a three-year test, showing that diet and exercise can delay diabetes. An active life, combined with eating low-fat meals high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grain foods, was almost twice as effective as medication.

Does that mean that everyone who eats junk food will get diabetes? No, says Scott Pritchard, one of the panelists at the Dangers of Diabetes forum. Does a Bloomsday runner who strictly follows the food pyramid remain diabetes-free? Possibly not. But he says it certainly would help to keep the symptoms at bay for the longest period of time, and that’s part of the goal.

“Diet and exercise are extremely important,” Pritchard says. “Of course, many of us can sit around, eat terribly, and never show any signs of diabetes. But if a person is genetically predisposed and follows the American lifestyle, the symptoms will show up.”

As more people around the world adapt a more “American” lifestyle, the number of cases of diabetes in other countries is increasing. The World Health Organization says 120-140 million people have the disease, and the number of cases will more than double by 2025.

What is most frustrating to health officials is the lack of care that patients themselves seek. “It’s a self-management disease,” Pritchard says. “They’re the ones eating and drinking. Carol Wysham (an endocrinologist also on the Dangers of Diabetes panel) can give great advice, but then they go home for 4-5 months. It’s really up to them to stick to their plan.”

Those who are having problems managing their own care can sometimes see a team of medical professionals who can assess foot and eye problems, review medicines, and talk about diet and exercise. They can also talk with a psychologist about changing habits and coping with this chronic disease. Group Health’s Dora Davis will discuss this “team approach” to care.

SPR broadcasts were underwritten by Holy Family Hospital, Sacred Heart Medical Center, MSC/Premera Blue Cross, Washington State University Spokane, and Group Health Cooperative.


The panelists:
Dora Davis, RN, BSN, CDE, is a Diabetes Nurse Clinician and Program Coordinator at Group Health’s Riverpoint Medical Center. She teaches classes and counsels patients individually on how to live with, prevent, or postpone diabetes. As a Certified Diabetes Educator, she holds classes in diabetes management, offers one-on-one counseling, and works with a team to coordinate the various aspects of care for a diabetes patient.

Laurie Payne, RD, CDE is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator. She has 14 years experience with the Diabetes Education Center. She works with people of all ages that have diabetes, helping to coordinate healthy eating habits into busy lives. She has also worked many summers at Camp Fun in the Sun, a local summer camp for children with diabetes.

Scott Pritchard, MS, CPHQ, is the manager and co-creator of the Disease Management program at MSC/Premera Blue Cross. For the past 9 years, he has worked on analyzing the medical system, making sure doctors and patients are aware of tests and treatments for the various possible effects of diabetes. Pritchard holds a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from WSU, and was a nutrition consultant in private practice. Long-time residents may remember his newspaper nutrition column or appearances on TV news medical segments. He is also on the faculty for the Washington State Diabetes Collaborative.

John R. White Jr., PA-C, Pharm.D. is a member of the American Diabetes Association and is the author of several works about diabetes, including Medications for the Treatment of Diabetes. Dr. White also sits on the editorial board of the ADA journals Clinical Diabetes and Postgraduate Medicine. He is the director of the Washington State University drug studies unit, and serves as a Professor of Pharmacy. He also serves as primary care provider at the Indian Health Service Clinic in Wellpinit.

Carol Wysham, MD, is an endocrinologist in practice at the Rockwood Clinic since 1992. She serves as Medical Director of the Rockwood Clinic and is also on the Board of Directors. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, and specialties of her practice include diabetes, menopause, osteoporosis and dyslipidemia. She is on the faculty for the Washington State Diabetes Collaborative.