Diabetes is when your body isn’t able to take up sugar (glucose) into its cells and use it for energy. This results in a build up of extra sugar in your bloodstream. Poorly controlled diabetes can lead to serious consequences, causing damage to a wide range of your body’s organs and tissues.

Complications of diabetes

Cardiovascular issues including coronary artery disease, chest pain, heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis

It happens when your liver breaks down fat to use as energy because there’s not enough insulin and therefore glucose isn’t being used as an energy source.

Does eating sugary foods cause diabetes?

While sugar itself doesn’t directly cause diabetes, eating foods high in sugar content can lead to weight gain, which is a risk factor for developing diabetes.

When should I call my doctor?

See your healthcare provider if you have any symptoms of diabetes.

What happens if my blood glucose level is low?

Hypoglycemia

What causes diabetes?

The cause of diabetes, regardless of the type, is having too much glucose circulating in your bloodstream.

How often do you need to see your primary diabetes healthcare professional?

Generally, if you are being treated with insulin shots, see your doctor at least every three to four months.

What does it mean if test results show protein in my urine?

Proteinuria is a sign of kidney damage.

Can prediabetes, Type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes be prevented?

Although diabetes risk factors like family history and race can’t be changed, there are other risk factors that you do have some control over.

How is diabetes treated?

Treatments for diabetes depend on your type of diabetes, how well controlled your blood glucose level is, and your other existing health conditions.

What insulin medications are approved to treat diabetes?

Rapid-acting insulins: These are taken 15 minutes before meals, peak (when it best lowers blood glucose) at one hour and work for another two to four hours. Examples include insulin glulisine (Apidra®), insulin lispro (Humalog®) and insulin aspart (NovoLog®).

How does diabetes affect your heart, eyes, feet, nerves and kidneys?

Diabetes doesn’t allow glucose (the body’s fuel) to get into cells and it damages blood vessels in/near these organs and those that nourish nerves.

How do I check my blood glucose level?

Most common way is with a blood glucose meter

Can the long-term complications of diabetes be prevented?

Chronic complications are responsible for most illness and death associated with diabetes. Chronic complications usually appear after several years of elevated blood sugars (hyperglycemia).

Other treatment options for diabetes

Pancreas transplant is possible, but requires taking immune-suppressing drugs for the rest of your life and dealing with side effects of these drugs.

What is continuous glucose monitoring?

Continuous glucose monitoring uses a tiny sensor inserted under your skin.

How common is diabetes?

34.2 million people of all ages – about 1 in 10 – have diabetes in the U.S.

Can you be born with diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes usually appears in childhood

What oral medications are approved to treat diabetes?

Over 40 medications have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of diabetes.

What types of diabetes require insulin?

Type 1 diabetes: Your body has attacked your pancreas, destroying the cells that make insulin – insulin is needed to live

Can diabetes cause hearing loss?

There appears to be a correlation between hearing loss and diabetes

How is insulin taken?

Needle and syringe: With this method, you insert a needle into a vial of insulin, pull back the syringe and fill the needle with the proper dose of insulin.

Hyperglycemic hyperosmolar nonketotic syndrome (HHNS)

HHNS develops more slowly than diabetes-related ketoacidosis. It occurs in patients with Type 2 diabetes, especially the elderly.

Hyperglycemia is defined as:

A blood glucose level greater than 125 mg/dL while in the fasting state (nothing to eat or drink for at least eight hours).

How is diabetes diagnosed?

Diabetes is diagnosed and managed by checking your glucose level in a blood test.

How does diabetes lead to amputation?

Poor circulation

Can diabetes cause hair loss?

Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to persistently high blood glucose levels, which can damage blood vessel damage and restricted flow, and oxygen and nutrients can’t get to the cells that need it, including hair follicles.

What types of healthcare professionals might be part of my diabetes treatment team?

Most people with diabetes see their primary healthcare provider first.

What should I expect if I have been diagnosed with diabetes?

The most important thing you can do is keep your blood glucose level within the target range recommended by your healthcare provider.

How does COVID-19 affect a person with diabetes?

Having diabetes does not increase your risk of contracting the virus, if you do get it, you are more likely to have more severe complications including bleeding, blindness, and kidney damage.

Who gets diabetes?

Risk factors for Type 1 diabetes include: Having a family history (parent or sibling) of type 1 diabetes, injury to the pancreas, presence of autoantibodies, physical stress, exposure to illnesses caused by viruses, being overweight, being physically inactive, being age 45 or older, smoking, and having a history of heart disease or stroke

Types of diabetes

Type 1 diabetes: This type is an autoimmune disease, meaning your body attacks itself

Why is my blood glucose level high?

Glucose provides the “fuel” or energy tissues and organs need to properly function

How is diabetes managed?

To best manage diabetes, you’ll need to take steps to keep your risk factors under control and within the normal range

Who should be tested for diabetes?

The earlier diabetes is found, the earlier management can begin and complications can be lessened or prevented.

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

Increased thirst

Can diabetes kill you?

Yes, it’s possible that if diabetes remains undiagnosed and uncontrolled (severely high or severely low glucose levels) it can cause devastating harm to your body. Diabetes can cause heart attack, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and coma.

What should my blood glucose level be?

Most people try to keep their blood glucose levels at these targets

Can diabetes be cured or reversed?

Successfully reversing diabetes is more commonly called achieving “remission.”

Can diabetes cause headaches or dizziness?

Hypoglycemia

Source

Get in