What You Should Know About Diabetes

Diabetes is a health condition that makes it hard for your body to use sugar from the food you eat for energy. Normally, when you eat, your body breaks down food into sugar called glucose, which goes into your blood. Your pancreas (a small organ near your stomach) makes a hormone called insulin, which acts like a key to help glucose enter your body’s cells so you can have energy.

When someone has diabetes, the body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use it properly. This makes too much sugar stay in the blood, which can hurt your heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves, and other parts of your body if it’s not treated.

Different Types of Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes

This happens when the body’s immune system (the part of your body that

fights germs) accidentally attacks the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. People with Type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day. It usually starts in children or young adults. Symptoms can show up quickly.

Type 2 Diabetes

This happens when the body doesn’t use insulin correctly, or the pancreas can’t make enough. It usually happens in adults, but more kids and teens are getting it now. Type 2 diabetes develops slowly and may not have obvious symptoms at first. Being overweight, not exercising, or having a family history can increase the risk.

Gestational Diabetes

Some women get diabetes while they are pregnant. Usually, it goes away after the baby is born, but it increases the chance of getting Type 2 diabetes later.

Prediabetes

This is when blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. People with prediabetes can prevent diabetes by eating healthy, exercising, and staying at a healthy weight.

Other less common types include:

• Type 3c Diabetes: From damage to the pancreas.

• LADA: A slow-developing diabetes in adults.

• MODY: Caused by genetic changes in families.

• Neonatal Diabetes: Happens in babies under six months old.

• Brittle Diabetes: A rare, severe form of Type 1 with lots of ups and downs in blood sugar.

Signs and Symptoms

Diabetes can show different signs depending on the type, but some common ones are:

• Feeling very thirsty

• Going to the bathroom a lot

• Feeling tired or weak

• Blurry vision

• Losing weight without trying

• Numbness or tingling in hands or feet

• Cuts or sores that take a long time to heal

In Type 1 diabetes, symptoms can appear fast. If untreated, it can cause diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a dangerous condition that needs emergency care. Type 2 diabetes symptoms can be mild and sometimes take years to notice.

What Causes Diabetes?

Different things can cause diabetes:

• Type 1: Autoimmune reaction (your body attacks its own insulin-making cells)

• Type 2: Cells stop responding to insulin (insulin resistance), or the pancreas can’t keep up

• Gestational Diabetes: Happens during pregnancy

• Other causes: Genetics, damage to the pancreas, certain medicines, hormone problems

Complications (What Can Happen if Diabetes Isn’t Managed)

Diabetes can lead to health problems over time, including:

• Heart problems and stroke

• Nerve damage (neuropathy)

• Kidney problems (nephropathy)

• Eye damage (retinopathy) and blindness

• Foot problems, ulcers, or infections

• Skin infections

• Problems with digestion or stomach

• Gum disease

• Higher chance of depression

How Diabetes is Diagnosed

Doctors can check for diabetes using blood tests

• Fasting blood sugar test: After not eating for 8 hours

• Random blood sugar test: Any time of day

• A1C test: Shows average blood sugar for the last 2–3 months

• Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT): Usually for pregnant women

• Prediabetes is diagnosed when sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diabetes.

How to Manage Diabetes

People with diabetes can live healthy lives by:

• Checking blood sugar regularly

• Taking medicine or insulin if needed

• Eating healthy foods like vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and avoiding too much sugar

• Exercising regularly

• Maintaining a healthy weight

• Visiting doctors for eye, foot, and kidney checkups

• Taking medicine to control blood pressure or cholesterol if needed

• Diabetes self-management programs can also teach people how to take care of themselves, understand blood sugar, and avoid complications.

How to Prevent Diabetes

• Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented yet

• Type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and gestational diabetes can often be prevented or delayed by:

  • Eating healthy foods

  • Exercising regularly

  • Maintaining a healthy weight

  • Managing stress and sleep

  • Avoiding smoking and limiting alcohol

  • Following the doctor’s advice, including taking medicine if prescribed

  • Even if diabetes runs in your family, these steps can reduce your risk or delay complications.

Why Diabetes Matters

Diabetes is very common around the world. In 2022, about 1 in 7 adults had diabetes. Many people don’t even know they have it. Diabetes can cost a lot of money in healthcare and can cause serious problems if not managed, but with the right lifestyle and treatment, people can live long, healthy lives.