Take a Diabetes Risk Test

To understand diabetes, one must appreciate the importance of insulin to the body. Insulin is a hormone that converts sugar, starches and other food into energy. Since sugar is the basic fuel for cells in the body, and because insulin transports the sugar from the blood into the cells, everyone needs insulin to survive.

Diabetes is a disease in which the body either:

• Doesn’t produce insulin (type 1 diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes)
• Doesn’t properly use insulin (type 2 diabetes)

Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults; type 2 diabetes is the more common form of diabetes.

The exact cause of diabetes is unknown. Genetics and lifestyle -- such as obesity and lack of exercise -- play roles.

A third type of diabetes is gestational diabetes, which affects approximately 4 percent of pregnant women (about 135,000 cases) in the United States each year. Like types 1 and 2, the cause of gestational diabetes is unknown, but it is believed that hormones occurring in the mother during pregnancy block the action of insulin in her body. This condition affects both the mother and baby, so early detection and treatment are urged.

Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. There are 41 million Americans who have pre-diabetes, in addition to the 20.8 million with diabetes.

Diagnosing Diabetes
Twenty million people in the United States (7 percent of the population) have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed, 6.2 million people (nearly one-third) are unaware that they have the disease.

Symptoms include:

• Frequent urination
• Dramatic weight loss
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Slow-healing wounds
• Tingling in the toes or feet

The American Diabetes Association recommends the Fasting Plasma Glucose Test to determine blood sugar (glucose) level. With this test, a fasting blood glucose level between 100 and 125 mg/dl signals pre-diabetes. A person with a fasting blood glucose level of 126 mg/dl or higher has diabetes.

Diabetes is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke; blindness; kidney disease; amputations; dental disease; complications of pregnancy; sexual dysfunction; and nervous system damage, including impaired sensation or pain in the feet or hands.

Diabetes has no cure; therefore, it is vital to control diabetes with a doctor’s advice, diet and exercise.