November 1st marks the start of National Diabetes Awareness Month. The American Diabetes Association reports that annually, more deaths are caused by diabetes than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
There are three types of diabetes, type 1, type 2 and gestational. Gestational diabetes only affects pregnant women and can cause high blood pressure that can potentially harm the unborn child. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. Only five percent of people with diabetes have type 1.
The most common form of diabetes is Type 2. This type is characterized by an issue within the body that causes blood glucose levels to rise higher than normal, causing the body to not use insulin properly.
It’s important to know what symptoms to watch out for in order to reduce the risk of developing complications.
Typical symptoms of diabetes include frequent urination, feeling extremely thirsty or hungry, extreme fatigue, blurry vision, weight loss even though you’re eating, tingling, pain or numbness in hands and feet or cuts and bruises that are slow to heal. If you experience one or more of the symptoms often, contact your health care provider immediately.
To help raise awareness, support advocacy groups and fund research donate to the American Diabetes Association. If the organization reaches their goal of $50,000 by the end of the month, one of their sponsors Colgate Total has offered to match the donation.
