DIABETES

DIABETES

DIABETES

Diabetes is a very serious condition that affects
your body’s ability to turn what you eat into the
energy your body needs to function. Diabetes
contributes to the deaths of over 2 0 0 , 0 0 0
Americans every year. Also, it is a leading c a u s e
of heart disease, strokes, kidney failure, blindness
and amputations. People with diabetes are more than twice as likely to
develop heart disease or die from a heart attack than people without diabetes.
Diabetes is a leading cause of heart disease, strokes,
kidney failure, blindness and amputations.
E v e rything you eat and drink is digested in your stomach and most of it broken
down into sugar molecules called glucose. Glucose gets absorbed into your
bloodstream and is transported to cells in every part of your body. A hormone
called insulin unlocks the cells and allows the glucose to enter, where it provides
the fuel that keeps the cells alive and working.
Diabetes is what happens if your body doesn’t produce enough insulin to take
glucose out of your bloodstream, or if your cells don’t respond to insulin’s
attempts to unlock them. The result is an excess of sugar in the bloodstream,
which can cause damage to every major system in your body.
Over 18 million Americans have diabetes. Latinos are much more likely to develo
p diabetes than whites, and African-Americans are about 60 percent more likel
y. In addition, over 40 million Americans have what’s called pre-diabetes, which
means they have blood glucose levels that are higher than normal, but not quite
high enough to be diagnosed as diabetic. A large percentage of people with prediabetes
eventually develop diabetes.
There are two major types of diabetes:
• Type 1, where the body produces little or no insulin. Type 1 accounts for
only 5 to 10 percent of cases and is most common among children. It
requires daily injections of insulin.
• Type 2, where the body produces at least some insulin, but cells don’t
respond to it. Type 2 accounts for 90 to 95 percent of cases. Type 2 diabetes
is most common among people over 40 who are overweight. But as
Americans get fatter and get less exercise, Type 2 diabetes is becoming more
common among children as well. Unfortunately, over 5 million people
have this type of diabetes and don’t know it.

DIAGNOSING DIABETES

Type 1 diabetes develops very quickly—usually over a few days or weeks—and
the symptoms are often severe. These include:
• Frequent urination and larger-than-normal amounts of urine, especially
at night.
• Dry mouth and excessive thirst.
• Sudden feeling of fatigue.
• Unexplained weight loss.
• Blurry vision.
Type 2 diabetes develops much more slowly and the symptoms are much less
noticeable. In fact, by the time people are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes,
they’ve had the disease for an average of over five years without knowing it.
Many of the early symptoms of Type 2 diabetes are the same as for Type 1, but
the difference is that they develop so slowly that they often go unnoticed. Other
symptoms include:
• Tingling or numbness of the hands and feet.
• Cuts and scrapes that take a long time to heal.
• Urinary tract infections.
• Impotence or erectile dysfunction (see page 21 for more).
Because the symptoms of Type 2 diabetes are so hard to recognize, the diagnosis
is often only made during a routine medical checkup. Pre-diabetes, which has no
visible symptoms at all, is even harder to diagnose. So if you are experiencing
any of the symptoms above or any of the risk factors listed below, schedule an
exam right now. If your doctor suspects that you may have diabetes or pre-diabetes,
he’ll order several blood tests to measure the glucose levels in your blood
and your body’s ability to process it.
Risk factors for diabetes and pre-diabetes include:
• Being 45 or older.
• Being overweight, especially if you carry your weight around the middle as
opposed to around your hips.
• Having a parent, brother or sister with Type 2 diabetes.
• Belonging to a high-risk ethnic group (African-American, Latino, AsianAmerican,
Pacific Islander, American Indian).
• Exercising fewer than two times per week.
• Having high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol.

LIVING WITH AND PREVENTING DIABETES

There is no cure for diabetes, however, it can be managed and treated. And about
90 percent of the time, diabetes can be prevented before it starts. The keys to
prevention and treatment are basic:
• Lose weight. • Get more exerc i s e .
• Control your blood pressure. • Eat a healthy, balanced diet.
If you’re being treated for diabetes, you’ll see your doctor every few months.
He may prescribe some medication, but there are limits to what he can do.
U l t i m a t e l y, it’s up to you: you’ll need to monitor your glucose levels at home,
take your medication exactly the way you’re supposed to, keep all of your
medical appointments, and make the necessary lifestyle changes.