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November is National Diabetes Month
By Naomi Graves, Pharm. D.
November 9, 2004 |
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Which means…now is the perfect time to learn more about diabetes! Why? You could be one of more than 5 million Americans who do NOT know they have diabetes.
What is diabetes? There are two major types. The first, Type 1, happens when a person’s body stops making insulin. Insulin is needed by cells in the body to use glucose, or sugar, for energy. This type of diabetes usually strikes when people are young and must be managed with insulin. Type 2 affects people when their cells are resistant to insulin; in other words, they need more insulin to process glucose. They may also have insulin deficiency. Type 2 can be managed with pills or insulin and can affect people of all ages. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are diagnosed when blood sugar levels are higher than normal. Pre-diabetes refers to a condition where blood sugar levels are high, but not high enough to qualify for type 2 diabetes. You can learn more about how health care professionals test for diabetes at http://www.diabetes.org/about-diabetes.jsp.
Lewis often conducts screenings where you can get your blood sugar tested to see if you might have diabetes. Contact your local Lewis pharmacy for more information. If you are at risk for diabetes, have your blood sugar tested at least once a year. Here are some risk factors:
- Age greater than 65 years
- Parent with diabetes
- Sister or brother with diabetes
- Woman who had a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
Let’s say you have some risk factors and wonder how you would know if you had diabetes. See you doctor if you are always thirsty or hungry, if you urinate often, if your vision seems blurry, unusual weight loss, or if you feel more tired than usual.
If you do have diabetes, it’s very important to get it under control. When blood sugar stays high over a long period of time, it can cause damage to blood vessels and nerves in the body. Especially at risk are the eyes, kidneys, and heart. In fact, more than 65% of people with diabetes die from heart attack or stroke.
An excellent source of information about diabetes is the American Diabetes Association. Their website is www.diabtes.org.
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