FACT SHEET Promote Healthier and Safer Lives
Introduction
Diabetes Awareness and Management
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is an illness in which blood sugar is too high because the body either does not make insulin or does not respond to insulin properly Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps convert food into energy Diabetes has no cure, but it can be controlled Good diabetes control means that most of the time, blood sugar levels stay close to the levels that are found in people without diabetes There are several kinds of diabetes All forms of diabetes can lead to serious health problems if not controlled By managing their diabetes, people can feel better and lower their chances for serious health problems later on With uncontrolled diabetes, sugar also called glucose builds up in the blood instead of getting into the bodys cells High blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, is toxic to cells over a period of time, and can cause serious medical problems, or diabetes complications Blindness, nerve damage, amputations, kidney failure, heart disease, stroke and other sometimes fatal conditions can develop If blood sugar is too low, known as hypoglycemia, immediate serious
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