Diabetes affects more than 17 million Americans. It damages blood vessels, including the coronary arteries of the heart. Up to 75 percent of people with diabetes develop heart and blood vessel diseases. Diabetes also can lead to stroke, kidney failure, and other problems.
Diabetes occurs when the body is not able to use sugar as it should for growth and energy. The body gets sugar when it changes food into glucose (a form of sugar). Insulin, a hormone made in the pancreas, is needed for the glucose to be taken up and used by the body. In diabetes, the body cannot use the glucose in the blood because either the pancreas cannot make enough insulin or the insulin that is available is not effective.
Symptoms of diabetes include increased thirst and urination (including at night), weight loss, and blurred vision, hunger, fatigue, frequent infections, and slow healing of wounds or sores.
Most people with diabetes have risk factors that are linked to heart disease and stroke, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol. By managing diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol, people with diabetes can reduce their risk of heart disease.
Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Know Your Health Tips – Diabetes
Sources: American Diabetes Association; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Tools and Resources for Diabetes
Diabetes Risk Test
American Diabetes Association
Health Advisor Risk Calculator
American Diabetes Association
Carbohydrate-Counting Chart for Diabetics
Sparkpeople.com
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