Need stamps?  Starting today, your purchase can benefit research and health care for more than 16 million people in the United States with diabetes.  Diabetes is a life-threatening disease which kills one American every 3 minutes.  About one-third of those affected have yet to be diagnosed, allowing their condition to progress untreated.

The postage stamp encourages everyone to "Know More About Diabetes".  For starters, what are the symptoms?  In many cases, patients experience increased thirst,  frequent urination, excessive irritability, or unexplained weight loss.  Many women with diabetes also notice frequent vaginal yeast infections.

Diabetes is a chronic, genetically determined, debilitating disease affecting every organ system. Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, amputation, heart attack, stroke and kidney failure - and it accounts for more than $105 billion of annual U.S. health-care costs. One of every four Medicare dollars goes to pay for health care of people with diabetes.

There are two major types of diabetes: Type I or "juvenile diabetes" and Type 2 or adult onset. There is no cure for diabetes-yet:  but there is hope through continued research.  There are also many medicines to help manage diabetes, as well as other lifestyle management strategies. 

Created: 3/15/2001  -  Donnica Moore, M.D.