DATE: Tuesday, October 28, 1997             TAG: 9710280233

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A15  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PAT DOOLEY,STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BOSTON                            LENGTH:   38 lines

PUBLIC MUST LEARN MORE ABOUT RISKS OF DIABETES, HEALTH EXPERTS CAUTION

The American public needs to know about the dangers of diabetes, much the way it has learned about high cholesterol and blood pressure levels, health experts said Monday.

Speaking at the 80th annual American Dietetics Association convention, registered dietitian Faye L. Wong told an audience of several hundred that ``diabetes is a silent disease.''

About 18 million people in the United States have the disease, said Wong, director of diabetes education for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. About half of them don't know it.

Untreated, diabetes can lead to complications, such as kidney failure, blindness, amputation and even death. Early detection and aggressive treatment often can prevent complications, experts said.

At the convention, health professionals detailed for the first time a government-backed effort, the National Diabetics Education Program. The public information campaign, which Wong said will be launched in March, is a partnership of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the American Dietetics Association and other groups.

Not enough people know about diabetes or are tested for it, Wong said. By the time many people are diagnosed, they have complications.

The risk factors for diabetes include weight gain, lack of exercise and aging, said a campaign organizer, Dr. Charles M. Clark of the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States. Taking care of people with complications for diabetes costs $92 billion annually.

Wong said the new campaign will focus on prevention of complications by encouraging people to get tested and to be aware of symptoms, including extreme thirst, frequent urination and fatigue.

``Treating complications,'' Wong said, ``is yesterday's focus.'' KEYWORDS: DIABETES

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