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Live Smart with Diabetes: Good Management Makes the Difference
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Diabetes—a condition that affects how your body uses the food you eat—is a chronic disease that affects more than 16 million Americans. A third of them are unaware that they have it. Almost 800,000 new cases are diagnosed every year. Left unmanaged, diabetes can lead to heart disease, blindness, and kidney failure, along with circulatory problems that can result in lower-extremity amputations.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone made in the pancreas. Insulin is necessary as a key to allow glucose from the food we eat to move out of the bloodstream and into the cells. As the blood sugar level becomes higher than normal, it eventually spills into the urine and is eliminated from the body.
Two types of Diabetes
There are two main types of diabetes: Type 1, which generally appears in childhood or early teenage years, and Type 2, which most often develops in adulthood (formerly called adult-onset).
Type 1, which is less common, is an autoimmune disorder in which the body is not able to control blood sugar levels. People with this form of diabetes do not produce enough of their own insulin, so they need daily injections to survive. Warning signs of this type include:
- Frequent urination accompanied by unusual thirst or extreme hunger
- Rapid weight loss with easy tiring, weakness and fatigue
- Irritability, nausea and vomiting
An estimated 500,000 to 1 million Americans have this type of diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is much more common, accounting for about 90 percent of those with diabetes. It usually occurs in people over 40 years of age; often they are overweight. These people may not produce sufficient insulin on their own, or the insulin cannot be properly used. In addition to controlling Type 2 diabetes with proper diet and exercise, many people must use insulin or oral medications. Warning signs of this type include:
- Symptoms mentioned for Type 1
- Blurred vision or any change in sight
- Tingling or numbness in legs, feet or skin
- Frequent skin infections or itchy skin
- Slow healing of cuts and bruises
- Drowsiness
An estimated 15 million Americans have Type 2 diabetes.
Who gets diabetes?
Researchers do not know the exact cause for diabetes, but there is an inherited tendency to get it. Not all people with the tendency develop the disease. Other things such as illness or obesity must come into play. Diabetes is not contagious. Some women develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy, which usually resolves after the baby is born. A blood glucose test is the simplest way to detect diabetes.
The Dangers of Diabetes
Diabetes has been called a "silent killer" because people can have it and be unaware of it until they develop one of its severe complications, such as blindness, kidney disease, or heart disease. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.
Managing Diabetes: the Team Approach
"The diagnosis of diabetes calls for a new way of living. Working with a medical team puts a patient in contact with a full spectrum of assistance in incorporating diabetes management into daily life," according to Judy Kohn, R.N., C.D.E. (Certified Diabetes Educator), program coordinator of John Muir Diabetes Center - Walnut Creek.
"The team of diabetes educators can include a patient’s physician, registered nurses, registered dietitians, social workers and sometimes a physical therapist or podiatrist," according to Marloe Campbell, R.N., C.D.E., program manager at John Muir Diabetes Center - Concord. The staff works under the medical direction of an endocrinologist (physician specialist in diabetes and hormonal conditions).
"Education about diabetes is important to help achieve good self-management of glucose levels. But ongoing support from the family, the health care team, and community resources is also vital," says Campbell.
"Our staff assists persons with diabetes, from many diverse backgrounds, to learn to cope with stressors that may complicate their situations. New strategies for dealing with traditional eating patterns, eating out, special events, travel and specific needs can be adopted," she says.
"The ability to tailor a program to each individual, and teach them to successfully manage their condition with a diet and exercise plan, insulin injections, oral medication, or a combination, leads to great success," says Kohn. "We help each patient to feel 'in control' of the situation. Our philosophy is that people can fit diabetes into their lives, rather than having their lives controlled by diabetes."