DO I HAVE DIABETES?

 What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition in which one has high blood sugar.  It can affect several parts of the body and result in various complications if not well managed. Unfortunately, most people do not know they are diabetic until these complications occur.

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Am I At risk of having diabetes?

Although diabetes may occur sporadically in some people, some risk factors place one at an increased risk of developing it. These risk factors may include:

• Living a sedentary lifestyle
• Being African/African-American, hispanic or latino
• Being overweight or obese
• Having a parent or sibling who has diabetes
• Age over 45 years
• Having a baby who weighed more than 9 lbs at birth

How Do I Know I may be diabetic?

Diabetics may not have any symptoms initially, but often times, one may notice:

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• An increase in thirst

• Feeling hungry most times

• Feeling the need to urinate very frequently

• A sudden weight loss

• Difficulty seeing

• Feeling numb/ tingling of the hands and feet

• Sexual problems        

• Having recurrent infections and wounds that don't heal easily.

Am I Diabetic?

Usually, one is diagnosed with diabetes when a blood sugar test is done and high sugar levels are obtained at least twice.

• If this test is done after you have fasted for at least 8 hours, a reading of more than 125mg/dl (7mmol/L) confirms diabetes. This is called a fasting blood glucose level.

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• If the test is done about 2 hours after a meal, called random blood glucose test, a reading more than 200 mg/dL (11 mmol/L) shows one is diabetic.

Sometimes, people may have a high blood sugar level that is not high enough to be classified as diabetes. This is called 'pre-diabetes'. For pre-diabetics;

• Fasting blood sugar is  more than 100 mg/dL (5.5 mmol/L)

• Random blood sugar is more than 140mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L)

Pre-diabetics  are at risk of having diabetes and heart diseases. They should focus on exercise and healthy eating to prevent progression to diabetes and other co-morbidities.

Some women may develop diabetes while pregnant. This is called gestational diabetes and will go away after the baby is born. People who have gestational diabetes however have an increased risk of developing diabetes later on in life.

What Do I Do If I'm Diabetic?

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• If you have any of these symptoms, you should visit your primary care physician.

•  Your physician might have to check your blood sugar level and if it confirms you're diabetic, you may be counseled to start some lifestyle modifications like exercising and healthy eating.

• Depending on the level of your blood sugar, you may also be placed on some drugs and/ or insulin

• You may also be required to visit an ophthalmologist to check if your eyes have been affected, and a podiatrist for your feet care.