Did you know that diabetes is a primary cause of heart attacks, blindness, stroke, and kidney failure, among other severe conditions? It affects millions of individuals worldwide and is the 7th major cause of death in the US. Diabetes is common with old age and excessive weight or obesity. However, you may lower your chances of diabetes or its effects through a healthy lifestyle, including regular physical activity, healthy diets, and maintaining your overall body weight. The San Pedro diabetes specialist is here to help you deal with and overcome diabetes. Here is more you ought to learn about diabetes.
What is diabetes?
It is a condition that emerges when your body does not produce adequate insulin or does not use the insulin made the proper way. Diabetes occurs in three primary forms.
- Type 1 diabetes develops in children but can also happen in adults. This type of diabetes develops when the pancreas does not produce adequate insulin or any insulin.
- Type 11 diabetes is the most typical in adults. It usually results from obesity and can occur in children too. Usually, in type 11 diabetes, the pancreas produces insulin, but the body fails to process the insulin naturally.
- Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy, and it’s likely to cause issues for the baby and the mother. Gestational diabetes causes high-risk pregnancy and hence requires monitoring to protect the pregnancy.
Diabetes has no known particular cause. But as evident from the different types of diabetes, the following factors increase your risk for diabetes.
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Obesity
- Family history
- Aged 45 and above
- Unhealthy diets
- Polycystic ovary syndrome
- Pancreatitis
- High blood pressure
What are the symptoms of diabetes?
Your symptoms of diabetes depend on the type of diabetes you have; they may include the following;
- Blurry vision
- Fatigue
- Itchy skin
- Increased thirst
- Sudden weight loss
- Increased urination
- Slow healing ulcers
The symptoms also affect men and women differently. Usually, women are likely to experience the following;
- Yeast infections
- Urinary tract infections
- Dry and itchy skin
Men may encounter the following;
- Erectile dysfunction
- Declined sex drive
- Poor muscle strength
It’s advisable to seek medical attention right after noticing your symptoms.
Diabetes diagnosis
Usually, your provider takes a blood test to identify your blood sugar and glucose levels. It helps in determining whether you have diabetes. Diabetic individuals have glucose levels that are above 126mg/dl.
Diabetes treatments
It’s critical to have comprehensive diabetes management to prevent severe complications, such as blindness and kidney failure. Your provider recommends checking your blood sugar levels more often. Where you have type 1 diabetes, you may require to have regular insulin injections.
You may want to watch your diet, only sticking to the recommended foods. It’s vital to have regular doctor visits for your treatment monitoring.
Eating healthy foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, fruits, and healthy fats, can help prevent and maintain your diabetes.
Diabetes is common and, when not correctly managed, may cause complications. Maintaining a healthy weight, consuming nutritious foods, and having an active physical activity can help lower your risk for diabetes. Usually, type 1 diabetes occurs very fast and is common in childhood, whereas type 2 diabetes develops slowly and affects adults. Contact Harbor Community Health Centers today if you have any signs of diabetes for treatment.
