Early detection is key with diabetes

Nearly one in five adults in the Piedmont Health District had diabetes in 2024, the second-highest percentage among Virginia’s health districts, according to a state health analysis. As World Diabetes Day approaches Nov. 14, the Virginia Department of Health is urging residents to understand their risk factors, get tested and take steps to prevent or manage a disease that can cause serious complications before symptoms appear. The Virginia Department of Health’s Chronic Disease Dashboard placed the district’s diabetes prevalence at 19.7% in 2024. The International Diabetes Federation, which organizes World Diabetes Day, selected “early action on diabetes” as this year’s campaign theme. One of the challenges is that people can have diabetes without realizing it. Diabetes can develop without noticeable symptoms, allowing elevated blood sugar levels to damage the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves before a person realizes something is wrong.

This excerpt comes from the named source. Read the original for the full reporting.