By Heather May, The Salt Lake Tribune
Jul. 18–Diabetic patients rarely end up in the hospital for more than a month like Larry Miller. But the Jazz owner and business magnate’s poor health underscores the seriousness of a disease that continues to grow in Utah.
Since Miller was admitted to an unspecified hospital June 10, Miller’s family has not said what ails him but have attributed his stay to complications from diabetes. In announcing Miller’s hospitalization in June, his oldest son, Greg Miller, said his father was coherent and conversing, possibly ruling out a stroke.
The other most common reasons diabetics are hospitalized include cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, comas and amputations, according to state health department data.
“When diabetics end up in the hospital, if it’s in any way related to diabetes, it’s typically because they have very high blood sugars and very poor control,” said Jim Chamberlain, a diabetologist who specializes in poorly controlled diabetes at the University of Utah’s Diabetes Care Center.
He is not treating Miller and doesn’t know the details of his case. But he said a heart attack, stroke, limb amputation or serious infection could require extensive hospitalization and rehabilitation — which Miller is undergoing — depending on many factors including their health before the problem.
Doctors say diabetics can significantly reduce their risk of serious problems by keeping their diabetes under control though diet, exercise and sometimes medications and insulin shots.
“I tell my patients, ‘If you’re motivated and you want to take good care of yourself and you get the diabetes education you need, you can pretty much live a normal life,’ ” said Chamberlain, who noted more medications are coming to the market that manage glucose levels and help patients lose weight.
Miller’s diabetes management is unknown, but his son has told reporters his father is not “exactly a picture of health.” During Jazz games, he could be seen hobbling to his courtside seat.
“Unfortunately, he’s neglected himself for too long and now he’s paying the price for that,” Greg Miller told reporters in June. Most Utahns with diabetes don’t maintain proper glucose levels, said E. Dale Abel, chief of University Hospital’s division of endocrinology.
“It’s not impossible,” said Abel, who is not treating Miller, “but one has to work with the provider and modify one’s lifestyle.”
The state health department has found that many Utahns are not following the “gold standard” of diabetes control, which is getting at least two hemoglobin A1C exams each year. The exams measure the average level of glucose in the blood in the prior three months.
The percentage of diabetics who follow the recommendation recently see-sawed between about 70 percent and 55 percent.
Keeping glucose levels in check is critical because too much can damage the heart, blood vessels, eyes and kidneys, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse.
It also compromises the immune system and causes nerve damage, which can lead to serious infections and then amputations.
Greg Miller said his father “probably” kept the disease hidden for some time.
Advocates for diabetics say there is a stigma. Many hope Miller’s poor health will serve as a wake-up call to other diabetics and motivate them to regulate their glucose, blood pressure, cholesterol and weight and get regular foot and eye exams and get screened for kidney failure.
Mahtab Sohrevardi, medical director of Intermountain Medical Center’s Diabetic Care Center, said it also could spur Utahns without diabetes. She also is not treating Miller.
“It’s really important to have a very good diet, and exercise. Preventing diabetes is way easier than treatment.”
Diabetes in Utah
–Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by high levels of glucose in the blood due to the body’s inability to produce enough insulin or use it effectively. Larry Miller has Type 2 diabetes, which is typically brought on by obesity and aging.
–The percentage of Utahns diagnosed with diabetes has been steadily growing since the 1990s. About 104,000 Utahns, including children, have the disease, which is the sixth leading cause of death. About 8 percent of adults are affected.
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