The Answered Patient: Understanding Diabetes

Diabetes is a serious chronic illness that affects millions of people in the United States. Left untreated, diabetes can cause a variety of complications, from kidney disease to heart problems.

In this episode of "Say Ahh!" you'll learn all about diabetes, including:

• Signs and Symptoms
• Type 1 vs. Type 2 Diabetes
• Complications from untreated diabetes

So what exactly is diabetes? In order to survive, our bodies need a type of sugar called glucose, which comes from carbohydrates in the food we eat. Normally, the pancreas produces a hormone called insulin which helps deliver this glucose to every cell of the body. But in people with diabetes, the pancreas either fails to make enough insulin, or the body becomes resistant to it. The result is a rise in blood glucose levels which can lead to serious symptoms, including:

• Dehydration and extreme thirst
• Unexplained weight loss
• Changes in vision
• Extreme fatigue

Some of the most common risk factors for developing diabetes are obesity and a family history of the disease. If you have either of these risk factors, you should have your blood sugar levels checked periodically after the age of 45.

There are several tests doctors use to diagnose diabetes. But the most common is the fasting plasma glucose test, in which blood sugar levels are tested in the morning after an overnight fast.

Left unchecked, diabetes can cause serious complications. Nerve damage can lead to numbness in the hands and feet, while poor circulation can result in wounds that are slow to heal. More dangerous risks include heart attacks, strokes, and limb amputations. Keeping your diabetes under control is the best way to avoid these problems and enjoy a healthy life.

To find out more about treating diabetes, be sure to watch our "Managing Diabetes" episode. We'll tell you about the strategies doctors recommend most for keeping this chronic condition under control.

For more information, click the links below:

• Diabetes: Assessing Your Risk
• Do I Have Diabetes?
• Diabetes: What the Diagnosis Means
• Preventing Diabetic Complications

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