Family history and diabetes

1. When Type 2 Diabetes Runs
in the Family…
Tyrell Hardtke
Diabetes in the Family: A Case Study
CDC’s 2005 Science Ambassador Program

2. Today’s Question:
You learn that type
2 diabetes “runs in
the family.”
How can you avoid
developing type 2
diabetes?
Diabetic
?
?
?
?

3. Presentation Overview
II. Family History
A. What is it?
B. How can we use it
to stay healthy?
I. Diabetes
A. What is it?
B. Who has it?
C. How do you get it?
D. What does it do?
E. How do you fix it?

4. What is Diabetes?
• A person’s blood sugar levels are too high
• Type 1: Pancreas produces little to no insulin
• Type 2: Over time, lose ability to use the insulin
that the body makes
Pizza
Blood sugar
Insulin
Blood sugar

5. Who has Diabetes?
• About 7% of the population (21 million people)
had diabetes in 2005 (2)
• Type 1:
– Usually diagnosed in children and young adults
– About 5-10% of people with diabetes have type 1
• Type 2:
– Older Adults Children, adults, and older adults!!!
– About 90-95% of people with diabetes have type 2
diabetes

6. What are the risk factors for type 2
diabetes?
• Age
• Physical inactivity
• Being overweight
• For women:
gestational diabetes
• Some racial/or ethnic
groups
• Type 2 diabetes in the
family

7. How Bad is Type 2 Diabetes,
Really?
• Increases your risk
of….
– Heart disease, high
blood pressure and
stroke by about two
times.
– Other complications
include blindness,
numbness,
amputation,
impotence, and kidney
failure!

8. How Can We Treat and Prevent
Type 2 Diabetes?
• Treatments:
– Medications
– Lifestyle changes
Prevention:
– Learn about your family history
– Work with doctor to monitor health closely, if it
runs in family
– Eat a healthy diet and be physically active!

9. What Do You Mean
“It Runs In The Family?!?”
• Family history of a disease: one or more of
your relatives had a disease
• If you have a family history of a disease, you
might have a higher risk of developing the
disease than the average person
• Some combinations of your family history,
your environment, and your behavior put you
at higher risk for developing diseases

10. The Risk Triangle: A Type 2
Diabetes Example
Your Genetics
Your Behavior
Your
Environment
Your
Risk

11. Using Family History for Prevention
• Environment and behavior are modifiable
risk factors
• Genetic make-up is a non-modifiable risk
factor
• You can prevent disease by changing
modifiable risk factors
Genetics
Behavior
Environment
Risk Risk Risk

12. In Summary…
• Diabetes is a serious, preventable disease
that strikes about 21 million Americans!
• We can use knowledge of family history to
prevent type 2 diabetes!
• Now, let’s look at a case of a woman who
might be at risk, and see if we can help
her…

13. References
1. Diabetes and Public Health Speak: A crash course on
the public health aspects of diabetes. PowerPoint
presentation by Pamela Allweiss, CDC Science
Ambassador Program, June 2005.
2. www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/diabetesintrodu
ction/id029102.pdf [Accessed 10/27/05]
3. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/diabetes.htm
[Accessed 3/27/06]
4. Family History: A disease prevention tool for public
health and preventative medicine. PowerPoint
presentation by Paula Yoon, CDC Science
Ambassador Program, June 2005.
5. http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-statistics/heart-
disease.jsp [Accessed 8/28/05]