Condition

What is it?

The word “diabetes” describes a group of disorders that results in long term high levels of sugar in the blood.

Early symptoms of high blood sugar can include increased thirst, frequency of urination, and unusual hunger.

Untreated, high blood sugars pose a risk to cardiovascular health which may lead to complications like heart attack, stroke, damage to eyes, kidneys, nerves, and peripheral tissues (leading to possible blindness, kidney failure and loss of limbs).

What causes it?

There are three main types of diabetes. Type 1 early onset is autoimmune insulin dependent. Type 2 adult onset is insulin resistant and related to lifestyle and weight gain. Type 2 gestational onset occurs during pregnancy.

While approximately 415 million people worldwide (over 8% of the adult population) have full blown diabetes, 90% of these patients have the type 2 variety and even more patients show early signs of this condition, called “metabolic syndrome,” which will lead to diabetes if left untreated.

Because this condition can be so destructive long term, it is crucial that patients with high blood sugars aggressively manage this condition.

Diabetes is a complex disease that can appear asymptomatic or, instead, can cause damage to the body from head to toe. Due to the multiple complications of this disorder, management is difficult and complex.