What is diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or, when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces.  It is a chronic disease and, if not managed well, can lead to complications such as blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, nerve damage, and amputation.  Diabetes is among the leading causes of kidney failure as well as lower-limb amputations in America. It is progressive, and if left unchecked may be fatal.  However, with the right diet and enough exercise you can live a long and healthy life. 

Diabetes has become a major public health problem around the world.  As with most diseases, the earlier the intervention, the better the eventual outcome may be.  A simple blood test called hemoglobin (HbA1c) can determine if you are diabetic.  If a person is found to have a fasting blood sugar level of  126 mg/dL or higher, they are considered diabetic.  If a person has a non-fasting blood sugar level of 200 mg/dL or higher they are considered diabetic, especially if it is accompanied by symptoms such as increased thirst, heavy urination, and extreme fatigue.  And, if the blood sugar level is slightly high with numbers between 100mg/dL and 125 mg/dL, then a person is diagnosed as being pre-diabetic. 

Basically, a person with diabetes is not producing enough insulin, or is simply not able to efficiently utilize the insulin produced.  There are three major types, the first one being Type 1.  It is usually diagnosed in childhood, although people can still develop it later on in life.  Type 2 is much more common due to a rise of  obesity and people's failure to exercise. The third type is gestational diabetes which is experienced at any time during the pregnancy by the pregnant mother who does not have diabetes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that almost 30 percent of the people with type 2 diabetes are undiagnosed.  People may have diabetes for many years before being diagnosed, as symptoms may be moderate or misdiagnosed.  Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they almost always have pre-diabetes with blood sugar levels being higher than normal but not yet high enough to be recognized as diabetes.

It is in everyone's best interest to have an HbA1c test to determine their blood glucose levels.  Better proactive than reactive when it comes to good health!