More than a year ago, Michael King's family doctor told him he had Type 2 diabetes.
"It didn't really shock me, considering that diabetes runs very strong throughout my family history," said the 47-year-old Fort Gordon medical worker and former Army nurse.
Mr. King is among a disproportionate number of diabetes patients who are black, and now he and others suffering from the ailment can turn to a new national program designed to help manage the disorder.
The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has organized a program called Every Diabetic Counts to help blacks throughout the nation better cope with the disease.
Sara Young, a family practice physician at Medical College of Georgia Hospital, said Type 2 diabetes usually develops in adults older than 40, but she's beginning to see the disease in children.
"African-Americans and other ethnic groups have twice the risk of getting diabetes when they're over 40," she said.
In the U.S., about 14.6 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes, and 6.2 million more are unaware they have the disease. Blacks also suffer more extreme complications, such as blindness, kidney problems, foot ulcers and a need for dialysis and even amputation, Dr. Young said.
Mr. King said he has followed doctors' orders by losing weight, changing his diet and monitoring his blood-sugar levels.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wants to ensure that older blacks are aware of free training available in several areas, including Augusta.
Terris King, the deputy director of the centers' Office of Clinical Standards and Quality, said Every Diabetic Counts offers free training to "teach people how to eat right, exercise, work with their doctors -- over a three-year period. And we'll monitor these folks to make sure they're doing what they're supposed to be doing."
"Our message is to tell people what they need to do and to stay healthy. Our program is free, and we want people to take advantage of it," he said.
Reach Timothy Cox at (706) 823-3217 or tim.cox@augustachronicle.com.
TYPES OF DIABETES
TYPE 1: A condition that results from the body's failure to produce insulin, the hormone that breaks down sugars in the body.
TYPE 2: Results from insulin resistance -- a condition in which the body doesn't properly use insulin.
GESTATIONAL DIABETES: Affects about 4 percent of all pregnant women -- about 135,000 cases in the U.S. annually.
PRE-DIABETES: Occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of Type 2. There are 41 million Americans with pre-diabetes and 20.8 million with diabetes.
Source: American Diabetes Association
FREE DIABETES CARE
To take advantage of Every Diabetic Counts , call the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Health Disparities Project Office at (410) 786-1043 or the Georgia Medical Care Foundation at (678) 527-3404.
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