Diabetes
[dahy-uh-bee-teez]
Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that affects how your body turns food into energy. Prediabetes is a serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant).
Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistake) that stops your body from making insulin. Insulin is a hormone that acts like a key to let blood sugar into your body’s cells for use as energy.
With type 2 diabetes, your body doesn’t use insulin well and is unable to keep blood sugar at normal levels. When there isn’t enough insulin or when cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream, which over time can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.
Gestational Diabetes is a type of diabetes that can develop during pregnancy in people who don’t already have diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs when your body can’t make enough insulin during pregnancy. People who start pregnancy with an increased need for insulin are more likely to have gestational diabetes.
Quiz
Key Facts
- 37.3 million Americans are living with diabetes, and 96 million US adults have prediabetes.
- Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness among working-age American adults.
- Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic amputation.
- The risk for stroke is twice as high among people with diabetes.
- About 1 in 3 adults with diabetes has chronic kidney disease, which can lead to kidney failure.
- Good diabetes care (including self-care) and diabetes self-management education and support are key to living well with diabetes.
If you have diabetes, learn more about diabetes management with the Diabetes Kickstart campaign.
People with prediabetes are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, but they can take action to help prevent or delay it.
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You are at higher risk for type 2 diabetes if you have a parent, brother, or sister who has type 2 diabetes; are overweight; are 45 years or older; are physically active fewer than 3 times a week; or have ever had gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant) or given birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds. African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and some Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are also at higher risk. If you have any of these risk factors, talk to your doctor about getting your blood sugar tested.
If you have diabetes, check your feet daily for sores, blisters, and other problems that could become serious if not treated early.
Talk to your doctor about getting tested for diabetes if you are pregnant. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after your baby is born; however, your risk and your baby's risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life is higher. If you’ve had gestational diabetes, visit your doctor to have your blood sugar tested 4 to 12 weeks after delivery. If you don’t have diabetes at that time, continue to get tested every 1 to 3 years.
Heart disease is the leading cause of early death among people with diabetes. Adults with diabetes are more than twice as likely as people without diabetes to have of heart disease or a stroke. Also, about 7 in 10 people with diabetes have high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease.
High blood sugar and high blood pressure can cause small blood vessels to swell and leak liquid into the retina of the eye, blurring the vision and sometimes leading to blindness. People with diabetes are also more likely to develop cataracts (clouding of the lens) and glaucoma (a group of diseases that damage the optic nerve).
Prevention Tips
National Diabetes Prevention Program
Prediabetes is a wake-up call that type 2 diabetes could be in your future, but it can be reversed. The CDC-led National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) lifestyle change program has been proven to help people make the changes needed to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. Through the program, participants:
- Work with a trained coach to make lasting lifestyle changes.
- Discover how to eat healthy and add more physical activity into their day.
- Find out how to manage stress, stay motivated, and solve problems that can slow progress.
Learn more with the Imagine You Preventing Type 2 campaign.