New Screening Program Identifies More Than 100 Potential Diabetics
Glucose level of several blood donors in dangerous range
NEWARK, DE- In the first three months of Blood Bank of Delmarva's diabetes screening program, 103 blood donors received potentially lifesaving information after they gave blood: they had glucose levels of more than 200. Donors with that result are urged to contact their physicians for further testing. Of those with elevated glucose levels, 24 blood donors had levels greater than 300, two had dangerous levels greater than 400 and one donor fell in the critical range with 530.
"Our diabetes screening program is identifying potential diabetics at a rate of more than one per day," said Robert L. Travis, Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD) President and CEO. "This program is proving that blood banks can make a difference not only to blood recipients, but to donors as well. We are now potentially saving lives on both sides of the blood bag."
How it works
Since October of 2007, BBD donors have been offered the opportunity to be screened for diabetes as part of the regular blood testing process. BBD currently conducts 11 tests as part of the regular testing protocol. This twelfth test - for high glucose - takes place at the same time and at no cost to the donor. In the fourth quarter of 2007, about 75% of BBD's blood donors (nearly 14,000 donors) opted to be screened. Each donor screened is given a confidential online password to enter on www.delmarvabloodresults.org in order to access their results. It is expected that results from the BBD diabetes screening program will provide the largest pool of data available from one geographic region.
Diabetes Statistics
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), more than 20.8 million children and adults in the United States (7% of the population) have diabetes and one third or 6.2 million people, are unaware that they have the disease. ADA researchers say about 8% of the population on Delmarva (the state of Delaware and Maryland and Virginia's Eastern Shore) has diabetes, and about one-third do not know it. Even more staggering, local ADA experts estimate that the prevalence of diabetes on parts of the Shore is as high as 14-18%, possibly due to higher percentages of retirees and general traditional lifestyle habits such as high-fat, high-sugar diets.
In the United States, the death rate for diabetes is on a dramatic rise, increasing 45% since 1987. It continues to go up while fatalities for other diseases such as heart attack, stroke and cancer decline. It is the fifth deadliest disease in the country.
