With each month comes a new designated awareness, as advocates seize the opportunity to inform people in new and creative ways. Though it can be hard to keep track, the tactic is a good one. If, for example, there is an uptick in those seeking the various means of screening for cancers after October, the effort is well worth it.

Important, too — particularly for residents of the Tri-State Area– is November’s Diabetes Awareness Month. According to the American Diabetes Association, 226,300, or 15.9 percent of West Virginians have diabetes; 1,158,800, or 12.6 percent, of Ohioans are diabetic; and 1,145,500, or 11.1 percent, of Pennsylvanians suffer with the disease.

But those are just the patients who are aware of their condition. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says approximately 38 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, but one in five of those people do not know they have it.

The numbers keep growing. In Pennsylvania, approximately 61,000 adults are diagnosed with diabetes each year. In Ohio, that number is 54,400, while in West Virginia in stands at 8,400.

According to the diabetes association, the disease can take a staggering financial toll. The total estimated cost of diagnosed diabetes in the U.S., the association reports, was $412.9 billion, including $306.6 in direct medical costs.

In West Virginia, the total direct medical expenses for diagnosed diabetes was $1.66 billion and the indirect costs due to lost productivity were $638 million. In Ohio, total direct medical expenses hit $9 billion and lost productivity was $3.3 billion, while in Pennsylvania, total direct medical expenses were at $9.3 billion and indirect costs hit $3.5 billion.

There are two different kinds of diabetes: Type 1, in which a person’s body does not produce insulin, perhaps because of an autoimmune reaction; and Type 2, in which a body doesn’t use insulin well and cannot properly control blood sugar levels.

Understanding the symptoms and risk factors is essential, as is getting screened. Learn more by visiting cdc.gov/diabetes

While lifestyle changes such as eating healthy, exercising and losing weight can make a difference, there is no substitute for coming up with a plan with your doctor. Whether that be a plan for prevention, assessing symptoms and risks, screening or a plan for living with diabetes, start the conversation.