Actress Michelle Trachtenberg poses for a portrait during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 19, 2009. The cause of death for the 39-year-old actress has been revealed as related to diabetes complications, specifically diabetes mellitus.
Mark Mainz/Associated Press
The cause of death for 39-year-old actress Michelle Trachtenberg has been revealed as related to diabetes complications, specifically diabetes mellitus.
The “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Gossip Girl” star was found dead in her New York City apartment Feb. 26, shocking fans unaware the actress had health issues, according to reporting by NBC News.
The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office released its findings in her death Wednesday.
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Here’s what to know about diabetes mellitus, how her’s was discovered and how many Houstonians are impacted by diabetes.
With diabetes mellitus, there is too much glucose or sugar in the person’s blood, according to St. Luke’s Health system which has locations in the Houston Medical Center, The Woodlands, Sugar Land and Pasadena.
“The pancreas circulates the hormone insulin into the blood stream and creates a pathway for sugar to enter into your cells. The glucose or sugar is the energy that supplies your muscles and tissues that make up your organs,” according to information from the health system.
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Michelle Trachtenberg appears at The Art of Elysium’s Ninth annual Heaven Gala in Culver City, Calif., on Jan. 9, 2016. The cause of death for the 39-year-old actress has been revealed as related to diabetes complications, specifically diabetes mellitus.
Rich Fury/Associated Press
There are three types of diabetes. Type 1 usually begins in childhood or adolescents and is linked to genetics; type 2 diabetes can develop at any age and is preventable; and the onset of gestational diabetes begins during pregnancy.
The word diabetes means a siphon or pass through, and the Latin word mellitus means sweet, according to the National Library of Medicine.
The types have varying causes but the American Diabetes Association states 25.8 million U.S. citizens have diabetes. The percentage of adults with diabetes in Texas is consistently higher than the national rate, which stood at 8.3% in 2019, according to data from Understanding Houston, a collaboration led by the Greater Houston Community Foundation.
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The percentage of adults aged 20 and older with diagnosed diabetes in the Houston region is in the top quartile of the state. In 2019, Fort Bend and Harris counties both had 10.2% of adults over 20 years of age diagnosed with diabetes, according to Understanding Houston data.
The Diabetes Awareness and Wellness Network or DAWN Center in Houston provides free diabetes self-management education and many other health related services to Houstonians in order to reduce and prevent chronic disease. There are clinic locations in Acres Homes, Denver Harbor, Alief and the Third Ward.
Several major media platforms reported that the actress had health issues and went through a liver transplant. An autopsy was not performed at the request of the family citing religious reasons, as reported by Newsweek.
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Instead, a cause of death was determined through a toxicology report which can be done without an autopsy.
Michelle Trachtenberg appears at the Critics’ Choice Television Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on June 19, 2014 The cause of death for the 39-year-old actress has been revealed as related to diabetes complications, specifically diabetes mellitus.
Richard Shotwell/Associated Press
