University Times

As part of National Diabetes Month, UPMC Health System's Diabetes Prevention Program is offering free blood sugar tests to all Pitt faculty and staff during November.

The simple and quick fingerstick blood tests can help determine if a person is at risk of developing diabetes, a disease that can damage the eyes, heart, kidneys and nerves.

In June, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) endorsed federal guidelines that recommend all adults be tested for diabetes by the age of 45. NIH estimates that such testing could help identify two million of the eight million Americans who have the disease but don't know it.

Along with high normal blood sugar, people who are at risk for diabetes include those who are overweight, get little physical activity, have a family history of diabetes and women who have had a baby of nine pounds or more, or had diabetes when they were pregnant.

UPMC Health Systems is offering the tests to identify people who are at high risk of developing diabetes and might want to take part in its Diabetes Prevention Program. The program is part of a National Institute of Diabetes study being conducted at 26 medical centers around the country.

In many cases, diabetes can be managed without insulin injections through diet, exercise and medication. UPMC Health System's program is designed to determine which prevention methods work best to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. "In one arm of the program, the person [selected to take part] will meet with somebody one-on-one over a six-month period to receive intensive lifestyle intervention, which can really be summarized as diet and exercise," said Monica Mullen, recruitment coordinator for the Diabetes Prevention Program.

The other two arms of the treatment involve taking one of two widely used blood sugar lowing medications, according to Mullen.

"It's an exciting trial in the sense that it is to determine prevention, which is different than many research studies that use people who already have a disease," Mullen said. She added, "We know that all of these interventions have a good likelihood of working, but we really don't know which one is the best." Participants will be randomly selected and will not have a choice of trying diet/exercise or medication, according to Mullen. The Diabetes Prevention Program is looking for 186 people to take part in the study. Any member of the Pitt community, however, can have the blood sugar test done free of charge. An appointment for the test can be scheduled by calling 383-2194. The tests will be offered at the following times and locations.

* Nov. 10, 7:30 – 11 a.m., University Health Center, 120 Lytton Ave.

* Nov. 12, 8 – 11 a.m., 272 Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic.

* Nov. 15, 7 – 10 a.m., Suite 606, Iroquois Building.

* Nov. 17, 7:30 – 11 a.m., Dining Room B, William Pitt Union.

* Nov. 18, 8 – 10 a.m., UPMC Montefiore Hospital, LHAS Auditorium 7.

–Mike Sajna