According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), nationwide over 38 million Americans have diabetes with nearly 98 million exhibiting prediabetes. The ADA notes that over the past 20 years the number of people diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled.

What is Diabetes

Rochester, Minnesota based the Mayo Clinic’s web site states, “Diabetes mellitus refers to a group of diseases that affect how the body uses blood sugar (glucose). Glucose is an important source of energy for the cells that make up the muscles and tissues. It’s also the brain’s main source of fuel.”

Mayo’s web site added, “The main cause of diabetes varies by type. But no matter what type of diabetes you have, it can lead to excess sugar in the blood. Too much sugar in the blood can lead to serious health problems.”

The accompanying sidebar story offers detailed definitions of Types 1 and 2, as well as Gestational diabetes.

Diabetic Symptoms

The Mayo Clinic offers the following as typical Types 1 and 2 diabetic symptoms:

•Feeling more thirsty than usual.

•Urinating often.

•Losing weight without trying

•Presence of ketones in the urine. Ketones are a byproduct of the breakdown of muscle and fat that happens when there’s not enough available insulin.

•Feeling tired and weak.

•Feeling irritable or having other mood changes.

•Having blurry vision.

•Having slow-healing sores.

•Getting a lot of infections

Testing for Diabetes

The Cleveland Clinic’s web site states healthcare providers diagnose diabetes by checking your glucose level in a blood test. Three tests can determine your blood glucose level:

Fasting blood glucose test: For this test, you don’t eat or drink anything except water (fast) for at least eight hours before the test. As food can greatly affect blood sugar, this test allows your provider to see your baseline blood sugar.

Random blood glucose test: “Random” means that you can get this test at any time, regardless of if you’ve fasted.

A1c: This test, also called HbA1C or glycated hemoglobin test, provides your average blood glucose level over the past two to three months. The ADA recommends an A1c be maintained under the seven percent mark.

Managing Diabetes and Your Lifestyle

The Cleveland Clinic’s web site offers insight on managing Types 1 and 2 diabetes.

Their authorities reveal, people with Type 1 diabetes must take synthetic insulin medication. Their bodies don’t make it, and they can’t stay healthy without it. Some people with Type 2 diabetes take synthetic insulin if their bodies have stopped producing insulin on their own or if they need more.

Insulin is often taken one or more times each day by injecting it with a syringe or an insulin pen. It can also be taken continuously with the help of an insulin pump. There’s even an inhaled form of insulin

People with Type 2 also may take other medications to help manage their condition. Some medications encourage their pancreas to make more insulin. Others work by encouraging their liver to release less glucose. And some can help their cells to use insulin better.

Cleveland Clinic’s web site emphasizes that managing diabetes also involves lifestyle changes. In part, they state:

In both conditions, maintaining a healthy glucose level is important.

One way people do this is with glucose monitoring devices, like glucose sticks, finger sticks or continuous glucose monitors.

Eating a healthy diet is critical for anyone with diabetes. They cite people with diabetes focus on eating lean proteins, non-starchy vegetables, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates

Stress management is also key for people with diabetes. The Clinic’s web site states, “Hormones released during our stress response can raise our heart rates, blood pressure and glucose levels. Stress and emotional responses also make it more difficult to eat right, exercise and take care of yourself, which makes it harder to manage diabetes. So, stress management matters a lot.”

The Mayo Clinic’s web site adds; physical activity, under your healthcare provider’s guidance, helps reduce your blood sugar level. Their guideline is undertaking 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week or at least 150 minutes of moderate weekly activity.

Diabetic Complications

The Centers for Disease Control offers the following as typical Health challenges of being a diabetic:

Heart disease and stroke: People with diabetes are twice as likely to have heart disease or a stroke as people without diabetes.

Blindness and other eye problems: Damage to blood vessels in the retina (diabetic retinopathy), clouding of the lens (cataract), and increase in fluid pressure in the eye (glaucoma)

Kidney disease: High blood sugar levels can damage the kidneys and cause chronic kidney disease (CKD). If not treated, CKD can lead to kidney failure. About 1 in 3 adults with diabetes has CKD.

Nerve damage (neuropathy): Nerve damage is a common diabetes complication that can cause numbness and pain. Nerve damage most often affects the feet and legs. It can also affect your digestion, blood vessels, and heart.

Amputations: Diabetes-related damage to blood vessels and nerves, especially in the feet, can lead to serious, hard-to-treat infections. Amputation can be necessary to stop the spread of infection.

In addition: Gum disease can lead to tooth loss and higher blood sugar, making diabetes harder to manage. (Gum disease can also increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.), Diabetes increases the risk of depression. Finally, Gestational diabetes can cause serious complications for mothers and their babies.

It is important to note, in addition to the previously mentioned symptoms, if you have a family history of diabetes, do monitor closely with your health care provider.

For additional information on diabetes, consult with your health care provider. Detailed online information can be found at the following web sites, as well as with other prominent health authorities:

American Diabetes Association Centers for Disease Control, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

Jeffrey D. Brasie is a retired health care CEO. He frequently writes historic feature stories and op-eds for various Michigan newspapers. As a Vietnam-era veteran, he served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Naval Reserve. He served on the public affairs staff of the secretary of the Navy. He grew up near the tip of the mitt and resides in suburban Detroit.