Enid residents heard about advances in diabetes treatment Monday at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center's 12th annual diabetes information fair.
Many Enid residents affected by diabetes attended the fair, where 14 vendors had information booths, helping educate people about the disease.
"It's a growing epidemic," said Patti Ruiz, program coordinator, RN and certified diabetic educator.
In Enid alone, the number of people who have been diagnosed with diabetes is large.
"Probably just in our practice alone we see about 170 just coming in for education," Ruiz said.
Some of those who come in for education have been diagnosed recently, but others have had the disease for awhile and have chosen to learn more about it, she said.
While there is no doubt the diabetic population is growing, Ruiz said she believes part of the growth has to do with more efficient diagnosing of the disease.
"One reason you probably see that we have more people with diabetes is they are doing more testing," she said.
Not only are the diagnostics advancing but so are some treatments. Ruiz said new meters require less blood for testing, and insulin pumps now help patients not to have to give themselves injections.
Risk factors for developing diabetes include obesity, having a baby over 10 pounds, family history and ethnicity, Ruiz said. She said blacks, American Indians and people of Asian or Hispanic descent are more likely to have diabetes. Another ethnic group with a high percentage of diabetic people is Marshallese, Ruiz said.
Foot care may not be the first thing that pops into mind when someone mentions diabetes, but it is a real concern for those who are diabetic and can be just as important as testing strips and insulin.
Gary Kester, of Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics in Parkview Medical Center, had an information booth at the fair about diabetic shoes.
"Diabetics have a lot of neuropathy where they have no sensation or feeling in their feet," he said.
Kester said a diabetic could have foot injuries and not even know about them.
"The worst thing a diabetic can do is to go barefoot," he said.
One important reason for good diabetic shoes is support.
"If they don't have good support ... a lot of them are prone to stress fractures," Kester said.
Even corns and callouses on the feet could be extra trouble for diabetics, and special shoes help with that.
"All diabetic shoes have extra depth," Kester said, "which means it has extra depth in the toe box."
The shoes with extra depth accommodate special inserts that help protect the foot.
St. Mary's Wound Care has a booklet of foot care guidelines for diabetics. Some of those guidelines include:
--Never go barefoot, indoors or outdoors.
--Inspect feet daily by using a mirror or asking a family member to assist you.
--Wash your feet daily, testing the water with hand or elbow to make sure it's lukewarm.
--If your feet become excessively dry, lubricate them using a thin film or moisturizing cream on the soles while still wet after bathing. Don't get the cream between your toes.
--Don't use panty girdles that are too tight around the legs.
--Avoid exposing feet to extremes, such as ice, sunburn, heating pads or heaters. To see more of the Enid News & Eagle or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.enidnews.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Enid News & Eagle, Okla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Copyright (C) 2009, Enid News & Eagle, Okla.