Your Diabetes Healthcare Team
Get to know the people who can help you manage your diabetes.
Glucose Tracking Log
Monitoring your blood glucose is easy with this week-at-a-glance tracking log. Just print out and fill in your daily glucose levels. Bring your tracking log to your next appointment.
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Most of the food you eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for your body to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ near the stomach, produces a hormone called insulin to help glucose enter the cells in your body. When your body does not produce enough insulin and/or does not efficiently use the insulin it produces, sugar levels rise and build up in the bloodstream. The result is the condition known as diabetes.
There are two main types of diabetes — type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Both forms of diabetes may be genetically inherited. A family history of diabetes can significantly increase a person's risk of developing diabetes.
- Type 1 diabetes is characterized by decreased or absent insulin production in the pancreas. People with type 1 diabetes cannot survive without daily injections of insulin. Historically, type 1 diabetes has been known as juvenile diabetes because it usually appears in children and young adults.
- Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. It develops when the body either doesn't make enough insulin or doesn't efficiently use the insulin it does make (a condition known as insulin resistance). It appears most often in middle-aged adults; however, it has been occurring in adolescents and young adults at an alarming rate. In a mild form, it can go undetected for many years. Untreated diabetes can lead to many serious medical problems. These include blindness, kidney disease, nerve disease, limb amputations and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Prediabetes and subsequent type 2 diabetes usually result from insulin resistance. Prediabetes is a condition that occurs when the blood glucose (blood sugar) levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Insulin resistance occurs when the body can't use insulin efficiently. To compensate, the pancreas releases more and more insulin to try to keep blood sugar levels normal. Gradually, the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas become defective and ultimately decrease in total number. As a result, blood sugar levels begin to rise, causing full-blown diabetes to develop. When insulin resistance or diabetes occur with other CVD risk factors (such as obesity, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol and high triglycerides), the risk of heart disease and stroke rises even more.
Insulin resistance is associated with atherosclerosis (fatty buildups in arteries) and blood vessel disease, even before diabetes is diagnosed. That's why it's important to prevent and control insulin resistance and diabetes. Obesity and physical inactivity are important risk factors for insulin resistance, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
You can avoid or delay heart and blood vessel disease by controlling your other risk factors.
What are the signs of type 2 diabetes?
According to the latest American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, about 6 million people 18 years and older in the United States have type 2 diabetes and do not know it. Many people have no signs or symptoms or they can also be so mild that you might not notice them.
According to the latest American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, about 6 million people 18 years and older in the United States have type 2 diabetes and do not know it. Many people have no signs or symptoms or they can also be so mild that you might not notice them.
Symptoms include
• Increased thirst
• Increased hunger
• Fatigue
• Increased urination, especially at night
• Weight loss
• Blurred vision
• Sores that do not heal
Please see your healthcare provider right away if you have these symptoms. Learn about the tests your healthcare provider will use to diagnose diabetes.
What can I do to prevent or delay the start of type 2 diabetes?
You can do many things to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. Many studies show that lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, eating healthy and increasing physical activity can dramatically reduce the progression of type 2 diabetes. These lifestyle changes can affect your other risk factors as well, such as blood cholesterol and high blood pressure, which also have a tremendous impact on people with type 2 diabetes.
You can do many things to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. Many studies show that lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, eating healthy and increasing physical activity can dramatically reduce the progression of type 2 diabetes. These lifestyle changes can affect your other risk factors as well, such as blood cholesterol and high blood pressure, which also have a tremendous impact on people with type 2 diabetes.
You should visit your healthcare provider to discuss your options for lifestyle management as well as medication treatment.
Reduce your risk factors by learning more about each one:
• Diabetes and Cholesterol
• Diabetes and High Blood Pressure
• Diabetes and Weight Management
• Diabetes and Diet
• Diabetes and Smoking
Diabetes can be managed — The Heart of Diabetes encourages patients living with type 2 diabetes to get regular physical activity, eat healthy foods and work with a healthcare provider to develop a comprehensive treatment plan. It is critical for people who live with diabetes to work with a healthcare provider to set personal treatment goals and successfully manage their diabetes.
