Most of us know someone with “a little sugar”, “sugar” or “sugar diabetes” Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases characterized by high levels of blood …
When A Little Sugar can be Dangerous
As published in Gospel Today
Most of us know someone with a little sugar, sugar or sugar diabetes
Unfortunately, because it is so common, we often take the disease too
lightly and dont recognize it as a major health threat A little sugar
is actually a medical disease called diabetes or diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases characterized by high levels of
blood glucose sugar It results from problems with how the body handles
the sugar that it takes in; this is from defects in insulins the car
that picks up the glucose and takes it throughout the body release,
insulin ability to transport glucose, or both
There are 17 million people or 62 of the population in the United States
who have diabetes While an estimated 111 million have been diagnosed,
unfortunately, approximately 6 million people are not aware that they have
the disease Each day approximately 2,200 people are diagnosed with
diabetes About 1 million people aged 20 years or older will be diagnosed
this year Today, diabetes mellitus is one of the most serious
health
challenges facing the United States Diabetes is the fifth deadliest
disease in the United States In 1999, diabetes contributed to almost
210,000 deaths Diabetes is a chronic disease that has no cure
The risks for diabetes are multifactorial, but goes up as you get older,
gain too much weight or dont stay active Additionally, different ethnic
groups are at increased risk for diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is more common among these ethnic groups:
African Americans African Americans are 17 times as likely to have
Type 2 diabetes as the general population While 6 percent of the
US population has diabetes, nearly 13 percent of African-Americans
have the disease Diabetes has been described as an epidemic in AA
females
Latinos Latinos are almost twice as likely to have Type 2 diabetes
For example, diabetes affects 12 million or 106 of the Mexican
American population
Native Americans Overall prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in Native
Americans is 122 vs 52 of the general population In some tribes,
50 of the population has diabetes
Types of Diabetes
Most people in the
United States have type 2 diabetes This type of
diabetes usually develops in adults and is caused by the bodys resistance
to the action of insulin and to impaired insulin release It can be treated
with diet, exercise, diabetes pills, and injected insulin
The other type of diabetes, type 1, develops usually before age 20 and is a
genetic problem associated with inadequate insulin and thus must be treated
with injected insulin
Gestational Diabetes GDM: Diabetes in Pregnancy
About 2 to 5 percent of pregnant women develop mild abnormalities in
glucose levels and insulin secretion and are considered to have gestational
diabetes Although these womens glucose and insulin levels often return to
normal after pregnancy, as many as 50 percent may develop type 2 diabetes
within 20 years of the pregnancy
How Do You Know if You Have Diabetes?
Your risk for diabetes increases as you get older, gain weight or if you
become inactive Other risk factors for diabetes include having high blood
pressure, a family history of diabetes, and having diabetes during
pregnancy or having a baby weighing more than nine pounds at birth
Sometimes people have symptoms but do not suspect diabetes They
delay
scheduling a checkup because they do not feel sick Many people do not find
out they have the disease until they have diabetic complications, such as
blurry vision or heart trouble It is important to find out early if you
have diabetes because treatment can prevent damage to the body from
diabetes
Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes
Many people have no signs or symptoms Symptoms can also be so mild that
you might not even notice them Nearly six million people in the United
States have type 2 diabetes and do not know it
Here is what to look for:
Increased thirst
Increased hunger
Fatigue
Increased urination, especially at night
Weight loss
Blurred vision
Sores that do not heal
Diabetes can be silent
Many people first become aware that they have diabetes when they develop
one of its life-threatening complications It is important to have
regular checkups with their physician and also it is important to know your
family history People with diabetes are more susceptible to many other
illnesses and, once they acquire these illnesses, often have a worse
prognosis than people
without diabetes For example, they are more likely
to die with pneumonia or influenza flu than people who do not have
diabetes
Major complications with undetected or poorly controlled diabetes:
Heart disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of diabetes-related deaths Adults
with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher
than adults without diabetes
Stroke
The risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher among people with diabetes
High blood pressure
About 73 of adults with diabetes have blood pressure greater than or
equal to 130/80 millimeters of mercury mm Hg or use prescription
medications for hypertension
Eye Problems
Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults
20-74 years old Diabetic retinopathy causes from 12,000 to 24,000 new
cases of blindness each year
Kidney disease
Diabetes is the leading cause of end-stage kidney disease, accounting
for 43 of new cases This is one of the major reasons why persons
have to be on dialysis kidney machines
Nervous system disease
About 60 to 70 of people with diabetes have mild to
severe forms of
nervous system damage The results of such damage include impaired
sensation or pain in the feet or hands, slowed digestion of food in
the stomach, carpal tunnel syndrome, problems in sexual function in
both men and women and other nerve problems Severe forms of diabetic
nerve disease are a major contributing cause of lower-extremity
amputations
Amputations
More than 60 lower-limb amputations removal of toes, feet or legs
in the United States occur among people with diabetes
Dental disease
Periodontal or gum diseases are more common among people with diabetes
than among people without diabetes Among young adults, those with
diabetes are often at twice the risk of those without diabetes
Complications of pregnancy
Poorly controlled diabetes before conception and during the first
trimester of pregnancy can cause major birth defects in 5 to 10 of
pregnancies and spontaneous abortions in 15 to 20 of pregnancies
Poorly controlled diabetes during the second and third trimesters of
pregnancy can result in excessively large babies, posing a risk to the
mother
and the child
Other complications
Uncontrolled diabetes often leads to biochemical imbalances that can
cause acute life-threatening events, such as diabetic ketoacidosis and
hyperosmolar nonketotic coma This requires hospitalization and if
untreated may result in death
Diabetic Risk Assessment
To find out your risk for type 2 diabetes, check each item that applies to
you
|[p|I have a parent, brother, or sister with diabetes |
|ic| |
|] | |
|[p|My family background is African American, American Indian, Asian |
|ic|American, Pacific Islander, or Hispanic American/Latino |
|] | |
|[p|I have had gestational diabetes, or I gave birth to at least one |
|ic|baby weighing more than 9 pounds |
|] | |
|[p|My blood pressure is 140/90 or higher, or I have been told that I|
|ic|have high blood pressure
|
|] | |
|[p|My cholesterol levels are not normal My HDL cholesterol good |
|ic|cholesterol is 35 or lower, or my triglyceride level is 250 or |
|] |higher |
|[p|I am fairly inactive I exercise fewer than three times a week |
|ic| |
|] | |
I am overweight
If you checked any of the boxes above, its time to have a talk with your
physician about your risks and he/she will help you decide if you need to
be tested for diabetes Take this checklist with you so that you can
effectively discuss with your doctor
There is ALWAYS Hope
If you have diabetes, YOU are more responsible than your doctor for
treating your disease Why? Because so much of your day-to-day treatment
depends on how committed you are to changing your lifestyle and working to
control diabetes The doctor can only make recommendations but cannot
watch your diet or exercise for you Diabetes can be controlled and the
long-term effects decreased
but only if you are willing to make some major
changes
Making big changes in your life is hard, especially if you are faced with
more than one change However, through prayer and commitment we know that
we can overcome and face ANY challenge
You can make it easier by taking these steps:
Make a plan to change behavior
Decide exactly what you will do and when you will do it
Plan what you need to get ready
Think about what might prevent you from reaching your goals
Find family and friends who will support and encourage you
Decide how you will reward yourself when you do what you have planned
Specific Things that you must do Prevent or Control Diabetes
o Keep your weight under control
o Stay active most days of the week; incorporating exercise into
your lifestyle
o Eating low fat meals that are high in fruits, vegetables and
whole grain foods
o Have frequent checkups with your healthcare provider
o If you are prescribed medication, take it as your doctor directs
and report any problems to him/her
immediately
Source:med.umich.edu
