People with diabetes -- whether Type 1 or 2 -- have an increased risk of severe complications if the disease goes undiagnosed and untreated, or if it is poorly managed. The high blood glucose levels that occur make it easier for blockages to form in the body's arteries and for nerve damage, causing numbness and tingling, especially in the legs and feet. Most people with diabetes have health problems such as high blood pressure and cholesterol that increase one's risk of heart disease and stroke. In fact 65% of diabetics die from it. Signs of diabetes are:
* being very thirsty
* urinating often
* feeling very hungry or tired
* losing weight without trying
* having slowly healing sores
* dry itchy skin
* losing feeling or tingling sensations in limbs
* having blurry eyesight
There are two common forms of diabetes:
1. Type 1 diabetes, or insulin-dependent diabetes, is usually first diagnosed in children, teenagers or young adults. In this form of diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas no longer make insulin because the body's immune system has attacked and destroyed them.
2. Type 2 diabetes, or non-insulin-dependent diabetes, is the most common form. People can develop Type 2 at any age and is where the pancreas does not make enough insulin and the body does not use it properly due to insulin resistance.
Treatment for diabetes includes insulin shots, medications, wise food choices, exercise, and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol.
