Diabetes affects 18M people in theUnited Statesalone. An estimated 5M of these people don’t actually know that they have the disease. How about on a worldwide scale? According to the World health Organization, more than 200M suffer from diabetes worldwide. This estimate is foreseen to double before 2030.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes has no current cure so can be labeled as a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas either produces too little insulin or your body doesn’t use the insulin effectively. Why is insulin needed in the first place though? Well, insulin is likened to a key that opens the microscopic cell doors allowing glucose to enter. Glucose is what gives the cells energy so without this, they end up weak and fragile.

How is it acquired?

There are many factors that contribute or heighten the chances of your acquiring this disease. Here are a few common causes:

• Overweight. The connection your weight has on the chances of your acquiring diabetes is this: the more fatty tissue you have, the greater the risk of your tissues and cells becoming resistant to insulin.
• Sedentary lifestyles. The risk this poses is that you are more likely to get obese and become more prone to diabetes.
• Race. There is no particular reason why but it has been found that people of certain races are more prone to getting diabetes. Blacks, American Indians, Asian-Americans and Hispanics have higher chance of developing diabetes.
• Family history. Those whose families have a history of diabetes on either side are more prone to getting either types of diabetes.
• Age factors. For Type 2 diabetes, sufferers are usually over the age of 45 and the risk of getting the ailment increases with age. Still, it is very possible for you to acquire it at a younger age especially if you’re overweight or have some history of it.

What are some complications?

Type 1 diabetes is usually the less serious and regular doses of insulin can allow the patient to lead quite normal lives. As for Type 2 diabetes though, there are much more complications that could occur.

One of the most serious problems that could complicate things is the risk of heart failure. This happens when the glucose in your bloodstream causes damage to vessels walls. Heart failure and other blood vessel complications will be more likely. In fact, the percentages of people who die from stroke are diabetes patients.

The increase of glucose in the blood can also destroy the kidney’s filtering system. The kidneys are composed of tiny blood vessels that act as filters. When there is an excess of sugar in your blood, these intricate filtering system may be seriously damaged.

Neuropathy or nerve damage is another risk you may face. Poorly controlled blood sugar can cause you to loose sense or experience numbness in the extremities like the finger tips and toes. This is caused by the potential damage that can be inflicted on the tiny capillaries that nourish your nerves.

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