I have seen more than one patient in the hospital who had diabetes and did not know it. Also, many people who are diagnosed with diabetes also don't seem to understand the consequences of not controlling their blood sugar. This is a huge problem!! Uncontrolled or poorly controlled diabetes causes sugar to remain in your blood and because it cannot get into your muscle and fat cells. This excess sugar in your blood wreaks havoc on the body by building up in places it should not - such as your kidneys, eyes, arteries, etc. This is why people with uncontrolled or poorly controlled diabetes have trouble with their vision, may loose feeling in their extremities, have increased risk for heart disease, have "sick" toes, get kidney disease/kidney failure, etc.
Risk factors for diabetes:
- Overweight
- Inactivity
- Age >45 years
- Family history of diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Low HDL or high triglycerides
- Some ethnic/racial groups including Hispanics, African descent & American Indians
- Previously having gestational diabetes
If you want to take a risk test for diabetes....follow this link:
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/prevention/diabetes-risk-test/?loc=DropDownDB-RiskTest
Symptoms of diabetes:
- Frequent urination
- Excessive thirst
- Extreme hunger
- Irritability
- Unusual weight loss
- Recurring infections or wounds that won't heal
- Dark velvety skin in folds of the body called acanthosis nigricans, click here for more info and for a picture of what it looks like http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/acanthosis-nigricans/DS00653
For more info on diabetes, check out the website for the American Diabetes Association
http://www.diabetes.org/
Take care of yourself by having a regular wellness check up completed once each year. Be sure to ask your doctor what screening tests you need!
Stay well!!
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