Diabetes is a risk factor for many serious complications, such as:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Amputations
- Blindness
- Kidney disease
It affects African Americans, Native Americans and Hispanics/Latinos more than other groups. Diabetes Is controllable. People with diabetes can take steps to control the disease and lower the risk of complications.
Pre-diabetes | Am I at risk?
- Sugar levels are higher than normal but are not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes
- Increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes and for heart disease and stroke
- Nearly 90 percent of adults who have prediabetes don't know they have it
- Eating healthy food and being physically active lowers the risk of developing diabetes
Type 1 diabetes
- Appears suddenly in people, usually before age 20
- High sugar levels caused by a total lack of insulin
- Accounts for 5 to 10 percent of diabetes cases
- Is treated with daily insulin injections or use of an insulin pump
Type 2 diabetes | Am I at risk?
- Condition in which the pancreas makes some insulin but the insulin is not used effectively
- Usually develops gradually, mainly in adults but is increasing in children
- Accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all diabetes cases
- Is controllable by diet, exercise, and daily monitoring of glucose levels. Sometimes treated with diabetes pills and/or insulin injections
Gestational Diabetes
- Occurs in the second half of a women's pregnancy.
- Appears in up to 5 percent of pregnancies and usually disappears when the pregnancy is over
- Requires treatment to avoid complications in the baby
- Poses an increased risk of later developing type 2 diabetes