8.1 Million People in the United States Live with Undiagnosed Diabetes
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2014 Statistic Report, 8.1 million people or 27.8% of the U.S. population are undiagnosed with Diabetes. November is National Diabetes Month. The month of November is dedicated to raising awareness about diabetes risk factors, symptoms and encouraging the population to make healthier life choices to prevent developing the potentially deadly disease. What is Diabetes? Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, when the disease goes undiagnosed. Diabetes is a disease that affects a person’s blood glucose levels. The disease limits glucose or sugar from distributing evenly throughout the cells of body, which in turn causes sugar to build up in an individual’s blood stream. Diabetes causes the body to not produce enough insulin, which is the hormone, produced in the pancreas that is responsible for helping to breakdown food into glucose. What are the types of diabetes?
- Type 1 or juvenile-onset diabetes is usually unable to be controlled by diet and exercise and is typically an insulin-dependent disease when first diagnosed.
- Type 2 or adult-onset diabetes is developed overtime, unlike Type 1, and can usually be controlled by changing a person’s diet
- Gestational Diabetes is a developed by women during pregnancy and usually disappears when treated or after child birth.
- Prediabetes is when the blood glucose level of an individual is elevated or higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
- Increased thirst, hunger and urination
- Blurred vision
- Areas of darkened skin
- Fatigue
- Weight loss or weight gain
- Develop a daily exercise routine
- Maintain a healthy well-balanced diet
- Join the National Diabetes Prevention Program- click here to learn more!