Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce insulin or properly used. Insulin is a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Although both genetic and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play important roles, the cause of diabetes remains a mystery.
In the U.S., there are 20.8 million people, or 7% of the population suffering from diabetes. While already been diagnosed with diabetes about 14.6 million people, unfortunately 6.2 million (or nearly one-third) are unaware they have the disease.
To determine whether a patient has diabetes or latent diabetes, health professionals perform a glucose test fasting plasma (FPG) or an oral glucose tolerance (OGTT). With either of these two tests can be diagnosed diabetes or latent diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recommends the FPG test because it is more economical, fast and easy.
If the FPG test is detected glucose level fasting blood between 100 and 125 mg / dl, mean that the person has a latent diabetes. A person with a level of blood glucose fasting 126 mg / dl or higher has diabetes.
The main types of diabetes
Diabetes type 2
It is the result of insulin resistance (a condition in which the body can not properly use insulin) combined with relative insulin deficiency. It is estimated that approximately between 90 and 95% of Americans (17 million) diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.
Gestational Diabetes
Diabetes during pregnancy affects about 4% of all pregnant women (approximately 135,000 cases in the U.S. each year).
Diabetes Symptoms
Often diabetes goes undiagnosed because many of the symptoms appear to be harmless. In this section we tell you what they are.
Diabetes Risk Test
There are 20.8 million Americans have diabetes … And one in three does not know! Take our diabetes risk test to see if at risk of having diabetes. Diabetes is more common among African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.