Purpose:
Operation Diabetes is a diabetes screening and awareness campaign developed by APhA-ASP that is designed to increase awareness of diabetes. The goals of the committee are to help the public become more knowledgeable about the disease and to recognize the risk factors, signs and symptoms of pre-diabetes and diabetes. The Maryland chapter of APhA-ASP and the Operation Diabetes committee attend health fairs, as well as many other community events where we directly involve pharmacists and pharmacy students in diabetes management counseling and screening. It is our mission to help identify those who may not have been diagnosed in the past, help patients manage their diabetes, and ultimately prevent long-term complications of the disease.
Check out our Operation Diabetes Blog!
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life.
- Type 1. An autoimmune disease in which the body does not produce any insulin, most often occuring in children and young adults. People with type 1 diabetes must take daily insulin to prevent further complications.
- Type 2. A metabolic disorder resulting from the body’s inability to make enough, or properly use, insulin. This form of the disease is associated with older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, prior history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity.
- Gestational diabetes develops in 2-5 percent of all pregnancies but disappears when a pregnancy is over. Women who have had gestational diabetes are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
Diabetes Statistics:
- 224,092: The number of annual deaths due to diabetes according to death certificate reports from 2002
- 61%: The increase of Americans with diabetes since 1990
- 20.8 million: The estimated number of Americans who have diabetes
- 1.5 million: The number of new cases of diabetes diagnosed in people age 20 years or older in 2005
- 9.7 million: The number of women in the United States who have diabetes
* Information and Statistics from the American Diabetes Association
For any Operation Diabetes questions regarding participation or additional information please contact Operation Diabetes Baltimore Chair Jaeil Kim (jaeilkim@umaryland.edu) or the Operation Diabetes Shady Grove Chair Quyen Kieu (quyen.kieu@umaryland.edu).