CITY OF SIOUX | Type 2 diabetes is a disease that affects millions of people every year, but many people don’t know they have it because they don’t have any symptoms.

In the early stages of the chronic illness, Michael Brenner, a doctor at Family Health Care of Siouxland – South Sioux City Clinic, said patients may experience unexplained weight loss, excessive thirst and frequent urination.

Family Health Care of Siouxland will host a Diabetes Wellness Fair on Saturday at the Sioux City Convention Center, 801 Fourth St., to educate the public about available treatments and prevention through lifestyle changes.

This free event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and features a variety of commercial providers specializing in oral care, eye care, chiropody, nutrition, vascular conditions and more. The latest medical devices and technologies to manage diabetes will be on display. The fair also includes family activities, free samples and door prizes.

“A lot of people don’t even know it’s very easy to get tested for diabetes,” Brenner said. “That’s why fairs like this are important in educating people with and without diabetes.”

Late onset type 2 disease can lead to major complications, including amputation of a lower limb, advanced kidney failure, heart attack, stroke, and even death from high blood sugar.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these complications have declined in American adults over the past 20 years due to better blood sugar and blood pressure control.

Brenner said the management of diabetes is constantly evolving, which is why patients should get as much information as possible about their disease so that they can be an integral part of its management.

“It’s more than just controlling blood sugar, it’s monitoring your whole body,” he said. “The better we can make good life choices now, the more prevention you can be. “

A1C tests, a blood test that shows the average amount of glucose in a person’s blood over the past three months, will be offered during the show, along with free blood pressure, sleep disorders and vessels. New to the show this year is a “brown bag” pharmacist event.

Shelly Bennett, line manager for Family Health Care of Siouxland Imaging Center, said visitors to the fair are encouraged to bring a bag of medications – over-the-counter drugs, prescription drugs, herbal supplements, topical creams – that they are taken. The pharmacist will review the medications for interactions and side effects.

“The pharmacist will look at it and say, ‘These may or may not mix together so well,” Bennett said. “He’s really going to assess all the drugs they’re taking.”