November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. In the United States, 1.5 million people are diagnosed with diabetes every year, according to the American Diabetes Association. Of those, an estimated 210,000 Americans diagnosed with diabetes are under age 20.聽
WMed Health Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes provides a comprehensive care for patients with diabetes and endocrine disorders including thyroid disorders, adrenal disorders, bone disorders, calcium disorders, disorders of growth or puberty, and pituitary disorders. The care team includes two board-certified pediatric endocrinologists, a nurse practitioner, dietitians, certified diabetes educators, an endocrine nurse and a social worker.
鈥淲e focus on the patient and the family and their needs,鈥 said Dr. Berrin Egrun-Longmire, chief of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology聽at the medical school. 鈥淒iagnosis of diabetes changes lives of patients and families.聽 We help families to understand diabetes and educate them to gain survival skills so they can take care of themselves and their chronic condition without it interfering with their daily lives.鈥
"Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes or insulin dependent diabetes, is most seen in children and adolescents, though it may affect any age. Symptoms are mostly sudden and include the child drinking more聽fluids than usual, feeling very thirsty, urinating frequently and waking frequently at night to use the bathroom. A child might eat more than usual but family members might notice the child losing weight, Dr. Longmire said."
Type 2 diabetes is caused by excessive calorie intake, where a patient can gain excessive weight and become insulin resistant. Unlike type 1 diabetes, the onset of Type 2 diabetes is insidious and the only sign of聽 Type 2 diabetes may be darkening around the neck, excessive weight and a strong family history of Type 2 Diabetes, Dr. Longmire said. A pediatrician can perform the initial screening for diabetes on a patient before referring the patient to WMed Health.聽
WMed Health Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes is accepting new patients at both of its locations 鈥 1000 Oakland Drive in Kalamazoo and 670 Mall Drive in Portage. A referral from a pediatrician is required. For more information on WMed Health Pediatric Endocrinology and聽Diabetes, call 269.337.6430 or visit med.wmich.edu/peds-endo.