14.2 percent of adults in San Antonio and Bexar County Residents had been diagnosed with Type-1 or Type-2 diabetes in 2014 - which is the most recent data. That is 4 percent higher than the state average and - more troubling for medical professionals - nearly 3 percent higher than it was two years two years prior.
More concerning to Kathy Shields, chronic disease prevention manager for the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District is that is just the people who have been diagnosed.
"There are many, many people here in San Antonio who very likely have diabetes and don't even know it yet," says Shields. "We also found out in this latest survey is that 1 in 8 adults have pre-diabetes."
The chronic condition can lead to - in the long term - amputations, kidney disease and nerve disease.
The city has been trying to focus on healthy activities and lifestyles for years, but the numbers continue to rise. Is San Antonio doing enough to combat what some medical professionals are calling a "Tsunami of diabetes"?
Guests:
- Kathy Shields, chronic disease prevention manager for the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District
- Dr. Curtis Triplitt, researcher and educator in the field of diabetes
