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What are some Risk Factors of diabetes?

High Blood Pressure / Overweight / Over 45 / Family History

Diabetes is a disease in which your body does not use or produce insulin properly. Too much sugar in your blood!
Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should.

What are the SYMPTOMS of diabetes?

People who think they might have diabetes must visit a physician for diagnosis. They might have SOME or NONE of the following symptoms:

  • Frequent urination
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Sudden vision changes
  • Feeling very tired often
  • Sores slow to heal
  • Nausea, vomiting, or stomach pains may accompany some of these symptoms in the abrupt onset of insulin-dependent diabetes, now called type 1 diabetes.

What are the TYPES of diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes, which was previously called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes, may account for 5% to 10% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes, which was previously called non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes, may account for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that only pregnant women get. If not treated, it can cause problems for mothers and babies. Gestational diabetes develops in 2% to 5% of all pregnancies but usually disappears when a pregnancy is over.

Other specific types of diabetes resulting from specific genetic syndromes, surgery, drugs, malnutrition, infections, and other illnesses may account for 1% to 2% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.

  • Excessive thirst
  • Extreme hunger
  • Tingling or numbness in hands or feet
  • Very dry skin
  • More infections than usual
  • Top two ways to prevent diabetes:

HEALTHY EATING AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY!!
 

  • A comprehensive website, sponsored by Merck, dedicated to educating persons about diabetes.  There are downloadable materials to read and review, as well as usable charts to track your blood sugars, exercise patterns, and food intake.  Click on the link below to learn more about diabetes.

http://www.journeyforcontrol.com/journey_for_control/journeyforcontrol/index.jsp?WT.svl=1

 

  • A comprehensive overview on diabetes and the effects the disease can have on other parts of the body.  Click on the link below to learn more about the effects of diabetes on the body.

http://www.journeyforcontrol.com/journey_for_control/journeyforcontrol/for_patients/living_with_diabetes/reducing_risk.jsp?WT.svl=5