MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – Diabetes is a diagnosis that no one wants to hear and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionthe number of adults receiving that diagnosis has more than doubled in the last 20 years.

Dr. Beverly Jordan, a family physician in Enterprise, says signs to look out for include increased thirst, hunger, urination, weight loss and “fruity breath.”

“Regular detection really helps to go further and create interventions earlier, which gives much better long-term outcomes,” she said.

About 25 percent of people over 65 have diabetes, according to Jordan, and in the Deep South, that number is even higher.

She says the number is closely linked to obesity rates, which is why it’s so important to create healthy habits.

“Get the fuel in stable sources,” she said. “So delivering the same amount of fuel consistently is a lot easier for your body to work on than delivering big jumps of fuel here and there.”

For sufferers, it’s not just a health scare, but a financial scare as well.

A 2021 CDC survey found that 16.5% of participants had to ration their insulin because of cost.

“There are definitely some programs available, some ways to get the drugs cheaper through the manufacturer and things like that, so I definitely encourage all of my patients and really all of your viewers to be honest with their doctor if the reason “You don’t take their medicine because they can’t afford it,” she said. “We can’t help you with that if you don’t tell us.”

Since that poll was taken, the Biden administration has passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which capped the cost of insulin at $35 a month for those with Medicare.

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