November is Diabetes Awareness Month and November 14 is World Diabetes Day.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, there are 540,000,000 adults living with diabetes, and almost half of people with diabetes are undiagnosed. In 2021, there were 6.7 million deaths due to diabetes.
Diabetes is a chronic condition that occurs when the pancreas can no longer make insulin, or the body cannot effectively use insulin. This leads to an increased concentration of glucose in the blood, known as hyperglycemia which can be fatal. Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, organ failure, heart attack, stroke, and lower limb amputation.
There are three main types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes, previously known as childhood-onset diabetes, is characterized by a lack of insulin production. This can develop at any age.
Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for around 90% of all diabetes, is caused by the body’s ineffective use of insulin – often a result of excess body weight.
And Gestational diabetes. This occurs with high blood glucose during pregnancy and can cause complications for both mother and child.
Know your risk, and know your response. To see if you have prediabetes, click here.
