Type 2 diabetes on rise in students

University Health Services has seen an increasing number of students with type 2 diabetes, which is usually seen in older adults.

Sarah Yonder, physician for University Health Services, said 20 years ago it would be rare to see type 2 diabetes at college age or below.

“Nowadays, we are seeing type 2 more prevalent in young people because of obesity,” Yonder said.

There are 23.6 million people in the United States who have diabetes and the total prevalence of the disease increased 13.5 percent from 2005 to 2007, according to the American Diabetes Association Web site.

Type 1 diabetes is seen more in younger people and results from the body’s failure to produce insulin. Type 2 traditionally develops as people get older, and is weight related, Yonder said.

Central Michigan Community Hospital is hosting a free discussion on insulin from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday in the FDJ Conference room, 1221 South Drive.

The presentation is part of the diabetes support program offered at the hospital every month, said Shelly Robinson, registered nurse and nursing education coordinator at CMCH.

Alan Kott, a diabetic and patient presenter, will speak on his struggle with insulin, misconceptions about insulin and why using it is not a sign of failure.

“Insulin is the most powerful therapy a person with diabetes can use,” said the retired chemical engineer from Midland.

When a person is diagnosed with diabetes, the first step is diet and exercise, but losing weight is hard, Robinson said. Diabetes is progressive by nature and it is hard to tell when someone will end up on insulin.

After getting to a point where an individual needs to use insulin, it is about guessing and checking at first, Yonder said.

When a lot of patients need to start using insulin, they feel like they have failed, Robinson said.

“There’s a lot of fear and guilt – a lot of guilt,” Robinson said. “But (insulin) is a good drug. It’s a good therapy.”

Robinson has seen several students from Central Michigan University come in with diabetes.

“The biggest problem people have is that diabetes is so silent,” Robinson said.

In the United States, about 5.7 million people are not aware that they have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association Web site.

Diabetes is the fifth-deadliest disease in the United States. Since 1987, the diabetes death rate has increased by 45 percent, according to the American Diabetes Association Web site.

Symptoms such as being tired and blurred vision could seem like stress to students and are easily ignored, Robinson said.

“When it hits (college students), it hits hard,” she said. “They are away from their family, so it’s tough.”

For type 2 diabetes, weight loss alone can be enough to control the disease, Yonder said, but it is difficult.

Too much food turns into fat, and that does not work well with the body, Yonder said.

Management of food is also essential.

“The key is to eat more frequent but smaller meals,” Yonder said.

Kott’s presentation will also cover some concerns about insulin. To attend the presentation, call 989-772-6766.

metro@cm-life.com