Diabetes Education and ResourcesEvery 21 seconds another American is diagnosed with Diabetes!
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a serious disease that affects the body's ability to produce or
respond properly to insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is produced by your pancreas.
Insulin allows blood glucose (sugar) to enter the cells of the body and be used for energy.
When your body doesn't produce enough insulin, your blood sugar is not broken, sugar
does not enter you cells, and sugar builds up in your bloodstream. This sugar build-up adversely affects your body's cells.Diabetes Affects
Just The Facts - United States:
• Diabetes in the leading cause of nontraumatic lower-limb amputations.
• Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults.
• Diabetes is the seventh (some sources indicate the sixth) leading cause of death.
• Diabetes is a major cause of heart disease and stroke.
• Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure.
*What AreThe Symptoms?
People who think they might have diabetes must visit a physician for diagnosis. They might have SOME or NONE of the following symptoms:
- Frequent urination
- Excessive thirst
- Unexplained weight loss
- Extreme hunger
- Sudden vision changes
- Tingling or numbness in hands or feet
- Feeling very tired much of the time
- Very dry skin
- Sores that are slow to heal
- More infections than usual.
Nausea, vomiting, or stomach pains may accompany some of these symptoms in the abrupt onset of insulin-dependent diabetes, now called type 1 diabetes.
*Information provided courtesy of U.S, CDC - Click http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/consumer/learn.htm
to get all the facts, information, and get your questions answered.
Diabetes education is offered for newly diagnosed individuals with
type 1, type 2, or gestational diabetes.
Call St. Francois County Health Center
at 573-431-1947, ext. 143 for more information about diabetes.
Additional Resources of Information
American Diabetes Association http://www.diabetes.org/home.jsp/
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Topics
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Resived 15 Mar 2011
