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Farida Khan, MD, chief of endocrinology and vice chairman of medicine, checks the blood glucose level of a patient.

The prevalence of diabetes across the United States continues to rise at an alarming rate especially in urbanized areas of the country where sedentary lifestyles and obesity abound. One out of every three children born today will face a future with diabetes if current trends continue. Each year, about 1.6 million people aged 20 or older are diagnosed with diabetes. In addition, an estimated 24 million people in the United States are already living with the disease and an additional 57 million Americans at risk.

New York Methodist Hospitals Education and Diabetes Resource Center, housed within its Institute for Diabetes and Other Endocrine Disorders, offers a full range of diagnostic services and cutting edge treatment options for both children and adults that includes on-site diabetes educators, nutritionists, bariatric surgery and world-renowned physicians who provide patients with the most comprehensive care needed to manage the disease and any related illnesses.

The term "diabetes mellitus" refers to a group of diseases that affect the body's use of blood glucose, commonly called blood sugar. There are several types of the disease; type I (formerly called juvenile diabetes); type II (the most common type in the United States; and gestational diabetes (which affects some pregnant women). More people than ever before including children are being diagnosed with type II diabetes, said Farida Khan, M.D., chief of endocrinology and vice chairman of the Department of Medicine at NYM.

Recent studies have demonstrated that bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for diabetes in selected individuals who are more than 100 pounds above their ideal body weight and meet other criteria. NYM is recognized by The American Society of Bariatric Surgery as a Center of Excellence in bariatric surgery. While traditional weight loss programs frequently don't work for obese patients, bariatric surgery enables them to attain significant and sustained weight loss, said Piotr Gorecki, MD, director of the Surgical Weight Reduction Program at NYM. Long-term weight loss leads to improved blood sugar control, which helps lower high blood sugar levels that are linked with type 2 diabetes.

If you or anyone you know suffers from diabetes of any diabetes-related complication, call 718 499-CARE. For more information about the Hospitals diabetes classes or support groups, call 718 246-8603.