Understanding Diabetes
Fast Facts on Diabetes:
Diabetes
Total: 34.2 million people have diabetes (10.5% of the US population) and 422 million worldwide
Diagnosed: 26.9 million people, including 26.8 million adults
Undiagnosed: 7.3 million people (21.4% are undiagnosed)
Prediabetes
Total: 88 million people aged 18 years or older have prediabetes (34.5% of the adult US population)
65 years or older: 24.2 million people aged 65 years or older have prediabetes
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy.
How is sugar normally processed in the body?
Most of the food you eat is broken down into sugar (also called glucose) and released into your bloodstream. When your blood sugar goes up, it signals your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin acts like a key to let the blood sugar into your body’s cells for use as energy.
If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use the insulin it makes as well as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream.
What are the types of diabetes?
There are three types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational diabetes.
Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are caused by insulin resistance, which happens when cells become resistant to insulin and the pancreas can’t make enough of it to keep up. Instead of entering your cells for energy, sugar stays in your bloodstream. It’s thought that genetic and environmental factors also play a role in these conditions. Being overweight is linked with type 2 diabetes, but anyone can develop the condition.
Gestational diabetes occurs due to pregnancy hormones. When a person is pregnant, the placenta makes hormones that help the pregnancy along; these hormones happen to make cells more insulin resistant. In people with gestational diabetes, the pancreas can’t make enough insulin to keep up, resulting in high blood sugar.
What are the Symptoms?
Individuals with diabetes don’t always experience symptoms. The symptoms people experience (and with what severity) typically depend on how high their blood sugar levels are. Some of the most common symptoms of diabetes include:
Increased thirst
Frequent urination
Excessive hunger
Unexplained weight loss
Fatigue
Irritability
Slow-healing sores or wounds
Frequent infections (e.g. gum, skin, or vaginal infections)
If a person’s blood sugar is dangerously high — typically, above 350 mg/dL in adults and above 240 mg/dL in children — they may experience different symptoms, such as:
Blurry vision
Lightheadedness
Flushed skin
Drowsiness
Fast heart rate
Fruity breath odor
Abdominal pain or vomiting
If you experience any of those symptoms, seek urgent medical attention
How is diabetes diagnosed?
Diabetes is diagnosed by drawing your blood. You have to meet one of the following criteria:
Your fasting blood sugar (after not eating overnight) is 126 mg/dl or higher
Your non-fasting (or random) blood sugar is 200 mg/dl or higher
Your hemoglobin A1c (average blood sugar over 2-3 months) is 6.5% or higher
Your glucose tolerance test is 200 mg/dl or higher
Source: CDC.gov
Who is at highest risk for developing diabetes?
Overweight or obese
45 years of age or older
Your parent or sibling has type 2 diabetes(genetics)
Physically active fewer than 3 times per week
Gave birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds
If you had diabetes while pregnant (gestational diabetes)
Smokers
Poor sleep habits
Why should Habesha People care about diabetes?
Race and ethnicity also affect your risk. African Americans, Habesha, Hispanic/LatinX, Native American, Pacific Islanders, and some Asian Americans are at particularly high risk for type 2 diabetes.
While race/ethnicity does not necessarily directly increase your risk of diabetes, there is a health disparity between rates of type two diabetes among different racial and ethnic groups in the US. Native Americans have some of the highest rates of type 2 diabetes, followed by Hispanic/Latin X, African, and Asian Americans. The factors that lead to this disparity are complex, but discrimination, access to care, and the built environment (e.g. food deserts or a lack of green space) all play a role in why we see these differences.
As immigrants living in the US, the Habesha community has had to adjust to a drastic shift in diet which has affected how we eat as a community and created isolation for many. The new living environment and a more sedentary life also puts us at higher risk.
Back home things are also changing, especially in larger cities where people have less access to quality products and even teff. We are seeing people eat more bread and fast food leading to higher numbers of people who have diabetes there. Our region is responsible for some of the highest rates of diabetes in Africa.
Is diabetes curable?
There isn’t a cure yet for diabetes, but losing weight, eating healthy food, and being active can really help. Taking medicine as needed, getting diabetes education and self-management support, and keeping health care appointments can also reduce the impact of diabetes on your life.
What are some of the treatments?
The first line of treatment for diabetes is a medication called Metformin, a pill that is taken daily. There are several new treatments that include injectable medications that can be used alone or in addition to Metformin which have also been very successful.
Insulin is used for people who have Type 1 diabetes since their pancreas can no longer produce it for them. Some people who have Type 2 diabetes may also need to use insulin.
Taking medicine as needed, getting diabetes education, self-management support, and keeping health care appointments can also reduce the impact of diabetes on your life.
What are some of the complications of untreated diabetes?
Over time, consuming large quantities of added sugar can stress and damage critical organs, including the pancreas and liver. When the pancreas, which produces insulin to process sugars, becomes overworked, it can fail to process blood sugar properly. In the process, the liver will convert excess sugar (fructose) to fat, which is stored in the liver and also released into the bloodstream.
Diabetes can cause:
Heart disease (heart attack, stroke)
Vision loss
Kidney disease
Nerve/Skin issues
Those that are at the highest risk for complications:
Smokers
People who are overweight and obese
People who are sedentary
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
A1c greater than 7%
How can I prevent diabetes?
Losing weight if you’re overweight or obese
Increase your physical activity to 3 times or more per week
Control your cholesterol levels
Healthy blood pressure (120/80 or below)
Quit smoking
Eating a healthy diet that includes lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and proteins low in saturated fats while avoiding processed sugars.
- Jerusalem Makonnen, RN FNP-BC
