NIDDK releases new awareness series on diabetes, digestive diseases and kidney and urologic diseases

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) has announced the release of new health information to raise awareness about diabetes, digestive diseases, and kidney and urologic diseases among people not yet diagnosed with these illnesses.

The NIDDK developed the Awareness and Prevention Series for community health fairs, workplace health forums, family reunions, and other similar events. NIDDK is one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The Awareness and Prevention Series publications are each two-page fact sheets - one side in English and the other in Spanish - on a wide range of health topics, including bladder control, celiac disease, foodborne illness, irritable bowel syndrome, pre-diabetes, preventing diabetes complications, urinary tract infections, and many others. Each fact sheet gives readers a snapshot of an illness, highlighting risk factors, symptoms, prevention tips, and where to go for more information.

"The series is designed to encourage readers to ask 'Could this be me or someone I care for?'" said Kathy Kranzfelder, director of the NIDDK Information Clearinghouses, which disseminate information about diabetes, digestive diseases, and kidney and urologic diseases to patients, health care professionals, and the general public. "Raising awareness of these illnesses may help people take steps to prevent them or see a doctor if they have symptoms."

Copyright-free full texts of the Awareness and Prevention Series publications - and all other publications from the Clearinghouses - are online at www.niddk.nih.gov. To order copies of the Awareness and Prevention Series fact sheets, click on "NIDDK Awareness and Prevention Series" and then on " catalog.niddk.nih.gov." Click on the appropriate Clearinghouse for the topics you are interested in. Single copies of fact sheets are free. A package of 50 copies costs $5.

The NIDDK, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), conducts and supports research on diabetes; endocrine and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases, nutrition, and obesity; and kidney, urologic and hematologic diseases. Spanning the full spectrum of medicine and afflicting people of all ages and ethnic groups, these diseases encompass some of the most common, severe, and disabling conditions affecting Americans.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.