While talking about diabetes, you may be frightened from the idea that you may have it. Or maybe, you may have it in the future. You want to know if you are at risk to develop diabetes and anxiously you’re looking to find out if you have any diabetes symptoms.
Diabetes affects the manner in which the body handles carbohydrates, fats and proteins. If neglected, diabetes can have serious complications. Diabetic people have high blood sugar levels. Blood sugar is regulated by insulin – a hormone produced by the pancreas.
Diabetes is a serious disease. Diabetes is the number one cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD). This disease is a condition where the body is unable to automatically regulate blood glucose levels, resulting in too much glucose (a sugar) in the blood. Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects as many as 16 million Americans.
The most common symptoms of diabetes are:
– being thirsty all the time
– frequent urination
– increased hunger
– feeling tired all the time tired
– vision changes
– recurrent skin infections
-sores that will not heal
– tingling or numbness in your extremities
– gums disorders
– hair loss
There are two different types of diabetes:
Type I Diabetes (juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes): The reason for type I diabetes is due to pancreas inability to produce insulin.
Type II Diabetes (non insulin dependent diabetes or adult onset diabetes): This diabetes is a result of body tissues becoming resistant to insulin. It is usually hereditary.
Type II Diabetes is more common than Type I Diabetes. Type II Diabetes is a life-long disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood. Type II Diabetes may account for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. Up to two-thirds of people with Type II Diabetes have no symptoms. Obesity is the single most important risk factor for Type II Diabetes. An estimated 20% of all cases of new onset Type II Diabetes are in individuals between the ages of 9-19. The more you know about Type II Diabetes, the more you’ll be able to take the right steps to take control of your condition.
If neglected, diabetes can lead to various complications such as damage to the kidneys, heart disease, nerve damage, hypoglycemia (drastic reduction in glucose levels). Diabetes is a serious disease and there is no cure. However, it can be controlled with diet, exercise and medication.
You can check your risk of diabetes at https://www.healthstatus.com/assessments.html