What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is the condition in which the body does not properly process food for use as energy. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies.
When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugars to build up in your blood. This is why many people refer to diabetes as “sugar.” Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
Diabetic Symptoms
People who think they might have diabetes must visit a medical provider for a diagnosis. They might have SOME or NONE of the following symptoms:
Do you need help or support for Diabetes?
RN Care Managers are your health educators on hand to help patients with nutritional counseling or to help patients understand their chronic disease. For more information, call 1 (844) 900-WELL.
