Think You May Have Diabetes?
Author: Cpike

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not properly
control the amount of sugar in the blood stream. As a result,
the level of sugar in the blood is too high. This disease
occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or does
not use it properly.

The symptoms of diabetes should be recognized. Recognizing a
symptom or sign for diabetes is important – diabetes can be
life-threatening. Diabetes can be caused by too little insulin
in the body or by the inability to utilize the insulin. Insulin
is a hormone produced by the pancreas which regulates blood
sugar levels. Over 15 million people the US alone suffer from
diabetes.

The main types of diabetes are:

Type 1 diabetes (often called juvenile or insulin-dependent
diabetes) - is a chronic (lifelong) disease that occurs when
the pancreas produces too little insulin to regulate blood
sugar levels appropriately.

Type 2 diabetes (often called adult or non-insulin-dependent
diabetes) - is the most common form of diabetes. About 90 to 95
percent of people who have diabetes have type 2 diabetes. People
with type 2 diabetes produce insulin, but either not produce
enough insulin or their bodies do not utilize the insulin made.
Most of the people who have this type of diabetes are
overweight.

Gestational Diabetes - is high blood glucose that develops
during pregnancy in a woman.

How would you know if you might have diabetes?

The most common symptoms of diabetes include – fatigue,
increased appetite, increased thirst, blurred vision, frequent
urination, slow healing infections and even impotence in adult
males.

By exhibiting any of these signs does not necessarily mean you
have diabetes though. The best way to determine this is to
visit your doctor and request the fasting blood glucose level
test. Diabetes is diagnosed if this test shows the blood
glucose level is higher than 126 mg/dl on two different tests.


There is no cure for diabetes at the moment, so what should one
do if diagnosed with diabetes? The objectives are to keep your
blood sugars stabilized as much as possible. By maintaining a
balanced blood sugar level, you can eliminate any possibility
of immediate or semi-immediate problems – in turn… prolonging
ones life.

Remember, life doesn't stop because you have diabetes; it
merely becomes more of a challenge. The good news on the other
hand is the cure for diabetes may not be that far off. Until
then, keep your blood sugars regulated, eat right and exercise
daily.


About The Author: For more information, please visit
http://www.type-1-diabetes.info