Patient Education Series November 2007
Diabetes
What is diabetes?
Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas 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. This causes sugars to build up in your blood.
According to the American Diabetes Association 18.2 million people in the United States have diabetes, and 5.2 million of these people are unaware they have the disease. Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
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
- Excessive thirst
- Unexplained weight loss
- Extreme hunger
- Sudden vision changes
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- Tingling or numbness in hands or feet
- Frequent exhaustion
- Very dry skin
- Sores that are slow to heal
- More infections than usual
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What are the types, risk factors, and treatment of diabetes?
|
Name |
Prevalence |
Risk Factors |
Treatment |
Type 1 |
Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes |
Accounts for 5% to 10% of all diagnosed diabetes cases |
Risk factors are less well defined for type 1 diabetes than for type 2 diabetes, but autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors are involved in the development of this type of diabetes. |
Requires a strict regimen that typically includes a carefully calculated diet, planned physical activity, home blood glucose testing several times a day, and multiple daily insulin injections. |
Type 2 |
Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes |
May account for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed diabetes cases |
Older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, high blood pressure, prior history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity. African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, and some Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are at particularly high risk. |
Typically includes diet control, exercise, home blood glucose testing, and in some cases, oral medication and/or insulin. Approximately 40% of people with type 2 diabetes require insulin injections. |
National Diabetes Fact Sheet: National estimates and general information on diabetes in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, 1997)
Prevention
There is no way to prevent Type I diabetes, but adopting a healthy diet and exercising can help prevent Type 2 diabetes for those at risk. People at risk for Type 2 diabetes should also be screened by their doctor starting at age 30.
Is there a cure for diabetes?
Research is continuously conducted to help prevent, treat and cure people with diabetes. Much progress is being made. To learn more about diabetes research, you can visit web sites for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US Department of Health and Human Services, as well as the American Diabetes Association. |
