About Diabetes Disease: Blood Sugar Control Can Prevent Many Diabetes Complications and Early Death

Posted by Allie Mendoza on October 17, 2011

People with diabetes disease have blood sugar levels that are above normal. Out-of-control blood sugar due to diabetes can cause serious health complications, including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, nerve damage and lower-extremity amputations. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to pregnancy complications — birth defects are more common in babies born to women with diabetes.

The best way to prevent diabetes complications is through medication as well as regular blood sugar monitoring and good blood sugar control.

Carbohydrates, such as fruits and vegetables, as well as other food we eat are turned into sugar or glucose that our bodies use for energy. The pancreas makes insulin hormone to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough insulin or the insulin it makes doesn’t work as well as it should. This causes your blood sugar to build up.

Diabetics have a higher risk of having a heart attack and stroke. In addition, some prescription medications for diabetics are linked to serious side-effects, including cancer, heart attack and stroke.

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States:

* Diabetes-related complications cause over 200,000 deaths each year.
* More than 23.6 million Americans have diabetes.
* About 5.7 million Americans don’t know that they have diabetes disease!
* Diabetes is likely to be under-reported as the underlying cause of death on death certificates.
__ In 2004, heart disease was noted on 68% of diabetes-related death certificates among people ages 65 years or older.
__ Stroke was noted on 16% of diabetes-related death certificates for the same age group.

How do you avoid diabetic complications and early death due to diabetes? The best way to prevent diabetes complications is through regular blood sugar monitoring and good blood sugar control as well as medication. By managing your diabetes effectively, you can avoid pain and suffering from diabetic complications as well as early death.