Diabetes
How Diabetes Can Turn Deadly
You can be diagnosed with diabetes if your pancreas either stops making insulin, known as Type 1 diabetes or when your pancreas cannot make enough insulin, known as Type 2 diabetes. Insulin is important to your body because it allows sugar to move from the blood into your cells, where it can be burned for immediate energy or stored for later use. 
Diabetes is an inherited disease, so if someone in your family has been diagnosed with diabetes in the past, you might possess diabetes risk factors and not even know it. Contrary to popular notion, it is not a “fat person’s disease”, even though being overweight can bring it on. Skinny people get it, too.
Diabetes Symptoms
Diabetes symptoms can be quite varied, and are dependent upon what level your blood sugar is currently at. If it is low, the classic symptoms are excessive sweating, weakness, shakiness and hunger. If it is too high, the symptoms usually presented include increased thirst, increased urination and increased hunger pangs as well as blurred vision. All this is brought on because your body is producing sugar at a rate faster than it can burn it off.
Why Management of Diabetes is Crucial
Diabetes as a disease can be managed, either through the use of insulin or through a programmed diabetes diet. This is a lifelong disease, and will require close management pretty much for the rest of your life. You will need to learn how your body processes blood sugar, how to recognize peaks and ebbs, and how to monitor your blood sugar levels daily, so you will know whether or not you need to inject yourself with insulin. Over time, your own diabetes may change, because of the steps you take in diabetes control.
The real danger lies in whether you let it go out of control or leave it untreated. Untreated or uncontrolled diabetes, whether adult diabetes or childhood diabetes, can lead to more serious and downright deadly complications later on. These diabetes complications include but are not limited to: heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, diabetic neuropathy, and diabetic retinopathy.
Diabetics are at higher risk for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease because of higher levels of cholesterol and unprocessed sugar in their bloodstreams. High cholesterol leads to artery blockage and potential heart damage. Out of control sugar levels can lead to damaged kidneys, complete kidney shutdown and diabetic coma.
Diabetics cannot heal properly, and any infection left untreated can lead to diabetic neuropathy or nerve damage due to diabetes. Any cut or scrape can become infected, especially on the feet and hands. Untreated diabetes can also lead to a host of eye problems, especially Diabetes retinopathy, which results from eye infections that lead to nerve damage of the optic nerve.
If someone in your family history has been diagnosed with this condition in the past, please see your doctor and get tested for diabetes as soon as possible. Even if you are not showing symptoms, you may still be at risk for related complications.
Diabetes
How Diabetes Can Turn Deadly
You can be diagnosed with diabetes if your pancreas either stops making insulin, known as Type 1 diabetes or when your pancreas cannot make enough insulin, known as Type 2 diabetes. Insulin is important to your body because it allows sugar to move from the blood into your cells, where it can be burned for immediate energy or stored for later use.
Diabetes is an inherited disease, so if someone in your family has been diagnosed with diabetes in the past, you might possess diabetes risk factors and not even know it. Contrary to popular notion, it is not a “fat person’s disease”, even though being overweight can bring it on. Skinny people get it, too.
Diabetes Symptoms
Diabetes symptoms can be quite varied, and are dependent upon what level your blood sugar is currently at. If it is low, the classic symptoms are excessive sweating, weakness, shakiness and hunger. If it is too high, the symptoms usually presented include increased thirst, increased urination and increased hunger pangs as well as blurred vision. All this is brought on because your body is producing sugar at a rate faster than it can burn it off.
Why Management of Diabetes is Crucial
Diabetes as a disease can be managed, either through the use of insulin or through a programmed diabetes diet. This is a lifelong disease, and will require close management pretty much for the rest of your life. You will need to learn how your body processes blood sugar, how to recognize peaks and ebbs, and how to monitor your blood sugar levels daily, so you will know whether or not you need to inject yourself with insulin. Over time, your own diabetes may change, because of the steps you take in diabetes control.
The real danger lies in whether you let it go out of control or leave it untreated. Untreated or uncontrolled diabetes, whether adult diabetes or childhood diabetes, can lead to more serious and downright deadly complications later on. These diabetes complications include but are not limited to: heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, diabetic neuropathy, and diabetic retinopathy.
Diabetics are at higher risk for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease because of higher levels of cholesterol and unprocessed sugar in their bloodstreams. High cholesterol leads to artery blockage and potential heart damage. Out of control sugar levels can lead to damaged kidneys, complete kidney shutdown and diabetic coma.
Diabetics cannot heal properly, and any infection left untreated can lead to diabetic neuropathy or nerve damage due to diabetes. Any cut or scrape can become infected, especially on the feet and hands. Untreated diabetes can also lead to a host of eye problems, especially Diabetes retinopathy, which results from eye infections that lead to nerve damage of the optic nerve.
If someone in your family history has been diagnosed with this condition in the past, please see your doctor and get tested for diabetes as soon as possible. Even if you are not showing symptoms, you may still be at risk for related complications.