24/05/2025
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition that happens when your blood sugar (glucose) is too high. It develops when your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin or any at all, or when your body isn’t responding to the effects of insulin properly. Diabetes affects people of all ages. Most forms of diabetes are chronic (lifelong), and all forms are manageable with medications and/or lifestyle changes.
Glucose (sugar) mainly comes from carbohydrates in your food and drinks. It’s your body’s go-to source of energy. Your blood carries glucose to all your body’s cells to use for energy.
When glucose is in your bloodstream, it needs help — a “key” — to reach its final destination. This key is insulin (a hormone). If your pancreas isn’t making enough insulin or your body isn’t using it properly, glucose builds up in your bloodstream, causing high blood sugar (hyperglycemia).
Over time, having consistently high blood glucose can cause health problems, such as heart disease, nerve damage and eye issues.
The technical name for diabetes is diabetes mellitus. Another condition shares the term “diabetes” — diabetes insipidus — but they’re distinct. They share the name “diabetes” because they both cause increased thirst and frequent urination. Diabetes insipidus is much rarer than diabetes mellitus.
What are the types of diabetes?
There are several types of diabetes. The most common forms include:
Type 2 diabetes: With this type, your body doesn’t make enough insulin and/or your body’s cells don’t respond normally to the insulin (insulin resistance). This is the most common type of diabetes. It mainly affects adults, but children can have it as well.
Prediabetes: This type is the stage before Type 2 diabetes. Your blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be officially diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes: This type is an autoimmune disease in which your immune systemattacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in your pancreas for unknown reasons. Up to 10% of people who have diabetes have Type 1. It’s usually diagnosed in childrenand young adults, but it can develop at any age.
Gestational diabetes: This type develops in some people during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after pregnancy. However, if you have gestational diabetes, you’re at a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.
How common is diabetes?
Diabetes is common. Approximately 37.3 million people in the United States have diabetes, which is about 11% of the population. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form, representing 90% to 95% of all diabetes cases.
About 537 million adults across the world have diabetes. Experts predict this number will rise to 643 million by 2030 and 783 million by 2045.
What are the symptoms of diabetes?
Symptoms of diabetes include:
Increased thirst (polydipsia) and dry mouth.
Frequent urination.
Fatigue.
Blurred vision.
Unexplained weight loss.
Numbness or tingling in your hands or feet.
Slow-healing sores or cuts.
Frequent skin and/or vaginal yeast infections.
Long-term diabetes complications
Blood glucose levels that remain high for too long can damage your body’s tissues and organs. This is mainly due to damage to your blood vessels and nerves, which support your body’s tissues.
Cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) issues are the most common type of long-term diabetes complication. They include:
Coronary artery disease.
Heart attack.
Stroke.
Atherosclerosis.
Other diabetes complications include:
Nerve damage (neuropathy), which can cause numbness, tingling and/or pain.
Nephropathy, which can lead to kidney failure or the need for dialysis or transplant.
Retinopathy, which can lead to blindness.
Diabetes-related foot conditions.
Skin infections.
Amputations.
Sexual dysfunction due to nerve and blood vessel damage, such as erectile dysfunction or vaginal dryness.
Gastroparesis.
Hearing loss.
Oral health issues, such as gum (periodontal) disease.
Living with diabetes can also affect your mental health. People with diabetes are two to three times more likely to have depression than people without diabetes.
How is diabetes diagnosed?
Healthcare providers diagnose diabetes by checking your glucose level in a blood test. Three tests can measure your blood glucose level:
Fasting blood glucose test: For this test, you don’t eat or drink anything except water (fast) for at least eight hours before the test. As food can greatly affect blood sugar, this test allows your provider to see your baseline blood sugar.
Random blood glucose test: “Random” means that you can get this test at any time, regardless of if you’ve fasted.
A1c: This test, also called HbA1C or glycated hemoglobin test, provides your average blood glucose level over the past two to three months.
The four main aspects of managing diabetes include:
Blood sugar monitoring: Monitoring your blood sugar (glucose) is key to determining how well your current treatment plan is working. It gives you information on how to manage your diabetes on a daily — and sometimes even hourly — basis. You can monitor your levels with frequent checks with a glucose meter and finger stick and/or with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). You and your healthcare provider will determine the best blood sugar range for you.
Oral diabetes medications: Oral diabetes medications (taken by mouth) help manage blood sugar levels in people who have diabetes but still produce some insulin — mainly people with Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. People with gestational diabetes may also need oral medication. There are several different types. Metformin is the most common.
Insulin: People with Type 1 diabetes need to inject synthetic insulin to live and manage diabetes. Some people with Type 2 diabetes also require insulin. There are several different types of synthetic insulin. They each start to work at different speeds and last in your body for different lengths of time. The four main ways you can take insulin include injectable insulin with a syringe (shot), insulin pens, insulin pumps and rapid-acting inhaled insulin.
Diet: Meal planning and choosing a healthy diet for you are key aspects of diabetes management, as food greatly impacts blood sugar. If you take insulin, counting carbs in the food and drinks you consume is a large part of management. The amount of carbs you eat determines how much insulin you need at meals. Healthy eating habits can also help you manage your weight and reduce your heart disease risk.
Exercise: Physical activity increases insulin sensitivity (and helps reduce insulin resistance), so regular exercise is an important part of management for all people with diabetes.
Due to the increased risk for heart disease, it’s also important to maintain a healthy:
Weight.
Blood pressure.
Cholesterol. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/7104-diabetes
