Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center

In type 1 diabetes the body attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells; as a result, no insulin is produced. We still do not fully understand why this happens although based on current research and scientific evidence we know that it is not related to our diet or lifestyle. About 5-10% of all people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. Until there’s a cure, this type of diabetes requires lifelong insulin therapy and glucose monitoring.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. In people with type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce adequate levels of insulin, or it is unable to use the insulin being produced effectively (also known as insulin resistance). As a result, the glucose starts building up in the blood stream leading to high blood glucose. We now know that a variety of genetic and environmental (lifestyle) factors together increase our risk for type 2 diabetes. This form of diabetes was typically seen in people above the age of 40, however, in the last decade or so an increasing number of children are developing type 2 diabetes.

Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that can develop during pregnancy. It is a result of the body not being able to produce enough insulin to cope with the additional bodily changes and demands that normally occur during pregnancy. Women are usually diagnosed in the late second-early third trimester of their pregnancy. However, a few women may get diagnosed early on in their pregnancy and it could be that they had underlying diabetes or insulin resistance before they became pregnant – but weren’t aware of it.

All women with gestational diabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life and are encouraged to get tested for diabetes or prediabetes every 3 to 5 years.

Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they may have a condition called “prediabetes”, which means their blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as diabetes. Long-term damage to the body, especially the heart and circulatory system, may be occurring during prediabetes. People with prediabetes you should be checked for type 2 diabetes every one to two years.

• In 2018, 34.2 million children and adults – or 10.5% of the US population – have diabetes.

• Another 88 million Americans have prediabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

• Recent estimates project that as many as one in three American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless we take steps to Stop Diabetes.

• People with diabetes are nearly twice as likely to be hospitalized for a heart attack or stroke.

• Diabetes causes 50% of all cases of kidney failure.

• More than half a million American adults have advanced diabetic retinopathy, greatly increasing their risk for severe vision loss.

• More than half of all amputations in adults occur in people with diabetes.

• About 60-70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nerve damage that could result in pain in the feet or hands, slowed digestion, sexual dysfunction and other nerve problems.

• The American Diabetes Association estimates that the total national cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States is $327 billion.

  • Direct medical costs reach $237 billion and the average medical expenditure among people with diabetes is 2.3 times higher than those without the disease.

  • Indirect costs amount to $90 billion (disability, work loss, premature mortality).

• One in 7 health care dollars is spent treating diabetes and its complications.

• One in 4 health care dollars is spent caring for people with diabetes.

Telehealth is a ‘video visit’ which allows you to meet with your provider through secure video conferencing technology from the comfort of your home or a preferred location. Even though he/she will not be there physically, your provider will be able to see you and you will be able to see and hear your provider similar to an in-office visit.

The Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center provides team-based, personalized programs—combining education, nutrition, exercise, coaching, and weight-loss support—to help people with prediabetes prevent diabetes and build sustainable, healthy lifestyles.

The Mary & Lee Iacocca Program in Type 1 Diabetes at Hoag’s Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center delivers comprehensive, expert-led care and one of Southern California’s largest diabetes education programs, supporting people with T1D through round-the-clock management with a multidisciplinary team that includes clinicians and educators with lived experience.

The Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag helps children and adults take control of diabetes and prediabetes through one of Southern California’s largest education programs, offering multidisciplinary, expert-led support in nutrition, exercise, monitoring, medication, and self-management.

The Ueberroth Family Sweet Success Program at Hoag provides comprehensive, coordinated diabetes care before, during, and after pregnancy—supporting women with T1D, T2D, or gestational diabetes through personalized education, nutrition, monitoring, and postpartum follow-up to promote healthy mothers and babies.

The Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center’s ADA-certified Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) program provides comprehensive, insurance-covered education, nutrition therapy, and technology support to help people at any stage of diabetes confidently manage medications, monitoring, lifestyle, and long-term health.

Hoag offers free diabetes support groups that provide community, encouragement, and expert-led psychological and emotional support for individuals with T1D, T2D, pregnancy-related diabetes, and young adults.