As the diabetes rate in the state increases, more college students are stricken with the disease, facing challenges during their enrollment as they make lifestyle changes to manage their condition.
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, Alabama is one of only six states with a diabetes rate higher than 10 percent, and one in every nine Alabamians have the disease.
“Diabetes is a very debilitating disease,” said Koushik Kasanagottu, president of the UA Diabetes Education Team. “It definitely has a great impact on the quality of life of a student.”
One of the most common problems among any type of diabetic is maintaining a healthy blood glucose level, because the disease causes defects in the body that don’t allow it to produce or use insulin.
Diabetics often have to maintain their own blood sugar levels to avoid hypoglycemic attacks, which occur when the blood sugar level is lower than normal, or hyperglycemic attacks, which occur when the blood sugar lever is higher than normal. Both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia can be lethal.
Diabetics have to monitor their levels daily to avoid having an episode, Kasanagottu said.
“They have to constantly monitor the amount of sugar in the body by pricking their fingers almost six to seven times a day,” Kasanagottu said. “Not only does this get expensive, but it also seriously hinders their way of life. On average, a glucose strip costs $1. This can add up immensely.”
UA graduate Dana Lewis, who has Type One diabetes, said she initially struggled with her diet during her freshman year of college. Because her body’s immune system destroys all the cells responsible for making the hormone insulin that regulates her blood glucose, Lewis makes a conscious effort to get the right amount of insulin needed for her body to function.
“The biggest thing was being able to figure out what I could eat, given the requirements to have a meal plan to eat in a dining hall,” Lewis said. “Because there is so much variety of food, it was really hard to calculate how many carbs were in everything.”
To make things easier for her and other students, Lewis worked with Bama Dining to get nutrition labels placed on the entrees.
Diabetics must also limit their alcohol consumption, according to the American Diabetes Association. Although binge drinking presents dangers for all students, diabetics who choose to participate are putting themselves at an even greater risk. Alcohol can cause a dramatic decrease in blood sugar levels, and sugary mixtures can raise glucose to dangerous levels.
Melondie Carter, the assistant director at the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness at the University, said diabetics should let their roommates know their condition, so they will be prepared if they have a negative reaction. She also advised diabetics to wear medical alert bracelets that let people know they have the chronic illness.
“They need to make sure they have enough insulin and supplies always on hand,” Carter said. “They need to have canned juice in case they have a reaction like hypoglycemia and their blood sugar gets too low.”
Carter said sugar gel or glucose tablets can be essential in saving a diabetic when they are hypoglycemic attack.
“It’s more important to get diagnosed and to be able to take care of yourself than live with diabetes undiagnosed,” Lewis said. “That is very dangerous.”
