What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease in which there is too much glucose (sugar) in the blood and because of these increased blood sugar levels there can be damage to other parts of your body.

The high blood glucose levels are caused by either a lack of insulin or your body's inability to use the insulin effectively.

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Why Me? looks at risk factors and common myths with diabetes.

Diabetes is a chronic disease which can be managed by you with help from your diabetes health care team, but there is no cure. Education is one of the keys to help you successfully manage your diabetes.

Types of Diabetes

There are three main forms of diabetes - type 1 diabetes, which accounts for 5-10% of the cases and type 2 diabetes, which accounts for the majority of other cases. A third type of diabetes is gestational diabetes, a type of diabetes which occurs during pregnancy.
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Type 1

With type 1 diabetes; there is little or no insulin being produced. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in people under 30 years of age, appears suddenly, most often with symptoms of high blood glucose. Treatment of diabetes involves meal planning, physical activity and often medication. Medication for type 1 diabetes always involves the use of insulin.
Type 1 Diabetes - The Basics
L'essentiel sur - Le Diabete de Type 1

Type 2

With type 2 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the insulin produced cannot be used properly. This is the most common type of diabetes. It is usually diagnosed in people over 30 years of age, develops slowly with or without symptoms. In addition to meal planning, physical activity, management of type 2 diabetes may involve oral medications, insulin injections or a combination of both.
Type 2 Diabetes - The Basics
L'essentiel sur - Le Diabete de Type 2

Gestational Diabetes

It is estimated that gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) occurs in 3 to 12% of all pregnancies. All pregnant women should be screened for gestational diabetes between 24 to 28 weeks of pregnancy and earlier if there are risk factors.
Gestational Diabetes - What is it?

Warning Signs

There are many symptoms of high blood glucose (or high blood sugar) which can include:

• drowsiness
• blurry vision
• excessive thirst
• fatigue
• frequent urination
• itchy skin
• slow healing of cuts or skin infections
• numbness or tingling in the extremities (usually the hands and feet)

If you are experiencing these symptoms, please contact your family physician.
For more information see Blood Glucose : Lows and Highs