Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects how your body turns food into energy. When you eat, your body breaks down most of the food into sugar (glucose) and releases insulin, a hormone that helps your body use or store the glucose for energy. With diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use it as well as it should. As a result, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream, which can cause serious health problems over time, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.
There are several types of diabetes, including type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction that stops your body from making insulin. Approximately 5-10% of people who have diabetes have type 1. Type 1 diabetes can be diagnosed at any age, and symptoms often develop quickly. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes, accounting for about 90-95% of all cases. It occurs when the cells in your body don’t use insulin properly, and the pancreas may not make enough insulin to keep your blood glucose level in the normal range. Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy and usually goes away after the baby is born.
Symptoms of diabetes may occur suddenly, or they may be mild and take many years to be noticed. Symptoms of diabetes include feeling very thirsty, needing to urinate more often than usual, blurred vision, feeling tired, and losing weight unintentionally. Over time, diabetes can damage blood vessels in the heart, eyes, kidneys, and nerves. People with diabetes have a higher risk of health problems, including heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. Diabetes can also cause permanent vision loss by damaging blood vessels in the eyes, and many people with diabetes develop problems with their feet from nerve damage and poor blood flow, which can cause foot ulcers and may lead to amputation.
There isn’t a cure yet for diabetes, but losing weight, eating healthy food, and being active can really help. Other things you can do to help include taking medicine as prescribed, monitoring your blood sugar, and seeing your healthcare provider regularly. Taking steps to prevent or manage diabetes may lower your risk of developing diabetes health problems.
