A scene as it might be viewed by a person with diabetic retinopathy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On 30 June 1925, blind and deaf Helen Keller charged Lions to be “Knights of the Blind.”

Frankfort Lions have a tradition of focus on service projects related to supporting the blind. Among them is the Sights and Sounds raffle in April, the Candy Day collection on street corners around town in October. Another is STRIDES: Lions and Lincoln Way Walk for Diabetes Awareness.

Why support STRIDES, and why make people aware of diabetes?  Before answering that question here are some statistics from the American Diabetes Association. The answer follows.

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Data from the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet (released Jan. 26, 2011)

Total prevalence of diabetes

Total: 25.8 million children and adults in the United States—8.3% of the population—have diabetes.

Diagnosed: 18.8 million people

Undiagnosed: 7.0 million people

Prediabetes: 79 million people*

New Cases: 1.9 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older in 2010.

* In contrast to the 2007 National Diabetes Fact Sheet, which used fasting glucose data to estimate undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes, the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet uses both fasting glucose and A1C levels to derive estimates for undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes. These tests were chosen because they are most frequently used in clinical practice.

Under 20 years of age

• 215,000, or 0.26% of all people in this age group have diabetes
• About 1 in every 400 children and adolescents has diabetes

Age 20 years or older

• 25.6 million, or 11.3% of all people in this age group have diabetes

Age 65 years or older

• 10.9 million, or 26.9% of all people in this age group have diabetes

Men

• 13.0 million, or 11.8% of all men aged 20 years or older have diabetes

Women

• 12.6 million, or 10.8% of all women aged 20 years or older have diabetes

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The answer for why the Frankfort Lions promote STRIDES.

Blindness (taken from the ADA website to read the entire article click here)

• Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults aged 20–74 years.

• In 2005-2008, 4.2 million (28.5%) people with diabetes aged 40 years or older had diabetic retinopathy, and of these, almost 0.7 million (4.4% of those with diabetes) had advanced diabetic retinopathy that could lead to severe vision loss.

  Donate to STRIDES

  Proceeds from STRIDES is donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the American Diabetes Association

Related articles

• Diabetes is not Kind to the Eye (visionmd.org)
• Diabetes Symptoms & Causes (answers.com)
• The Connection Between Diabetes and Hearing Loss (healthyhearing.com)
• Blood Glucose Levels and Type 2 Diabetes Quiz (aahhomecarewithheart.wordpress.com)

Filed under: family, health care, Motivation, Society | Tagged: American Diabetes Association, blindness, Diabetes mellitus, Diabetic retinopathy, Frankfort, Glucose test, Helen Keller, Lincoln Way East High School, Prediabetes, Strides, United States |