(Photo from diabetes.co.uk).
With November being National Diabetes Awareness Month, here are some ways to get ahead and detect some early symptoms:
First, diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability and death not only in the United States, but worldwide; with it causing nearly 1.5 million deaths around the world in 2016, according to a previous Global Burden of Disease study.
According to the CDC, diabetes is a long lasting health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use the insulin it makes as well as it should. This can later on lead to serious health issues, such as heart disease, kidney disease, and vision loss.
There are two main types of diabetes. Type 1 and Type 2.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common, according to the American Diabetes Association. It happens when your body is unable to use insulin effectively.
Type 1 diabetes on the other hand happens when your body can not produce any insulin, but if it does, it produces very little of it. People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin shots every day in order to control their blood sugar levels and get the energy their body needs.
Here are some symptoms released by the CDC (If you happen to have any of these symptoms, make sure to see your doctor and get your blood sugar tested):
- Urinate a lot (often at night)
- Numb or tingling hands and/or feet
- Thirst
- Blurry vision
- Lost of weight without trying
- Feel very tired
- Often hunger
- Wounds and sores that heal slowly
- Dry skin
