(ARA) – Are you taking risks with your life without even knowing it? You may be one of the nearly 6 million Americans who have type 2 diabetes and don’t even know it. 

Diabetes affects nearly 24 million children and adults in the United States and another 57 million have pre-diabetes, a condition that places them at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. If you don’t know the risk factors or symptoms for diabetes, you may very well be risking your life to this silent killer. 

Diabetes is a silent killer because many people can live with the disease for years and never find out that they have it until they start experiencing diabetes-related damage that can lead to a heart attack, stroke, vision problems or kidney disease. In fact, most people with type 2 diabetes do not notice the symptoms because some signs of diabetes aren’t easy to recognize. Symptoms of diabetes include: 

* Being very thirsty 
* Urinating often 
* Losing weight without trying 
* Having vision problems, such as blurred vision 

Diabetes is a serious disease, but early diagnosis and treatment can help people with diabetes live healthy and active lives. A person’s risk for diabetes goes up as they get older, gain weight, or if they do not stay active. So how can you find out if you might be at risk for diabetes? Risk factors include: 

* Being overweight or obese 
* Not being physically active 
* Having a family history of diabetes 
* Having high blood pressure 
* Having diabetes during pregnancy or having a baby weighing more than 9 pounds at birth 
* Being older than 45 years of age 

Diabetes is also more common in African Americans, Latinos/Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. 

To find out if you or a loved one are at risk for type 2 diabetes, you can take the American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes Risk Test. This is a simple test that asks questions about weight, age, family history and other potential risk factors for diabetes. Based on your response, you can find out whether you are at low, moderate or high risk for diabetes. You can take the test online at www.diabetes.org/alert or by phone (in English or Spanish) at (800) DIABETES (800-342-2383). 

If you find that you are at high risk for having diabetes, talk with your doctor to find out for sure. Only your doctor can determine if you have diabetes. 

To learn more about diabetes risk factors, diagnosis and treatment, or to take the Diabetes Risk Test, visit the American Diabetes Association’s Web site at www.diabetes.org or call (800) DIABETES (800-342-2383). 

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Pre diabetes is a critical health condition without any apparent symptoms of diabetes. This condition is also referred to as impaired glucose tolerance. Pre diabetes is common in people before he develops type II diabetes. As estimated by American Diabetes Association, nearly 54 million American individuals over age 20 are suffering from pre diabetes condition with a higher blood glucose level than normal, however, not so high that it can be exclusively classified under diabetic condition.

Day by day, doctors and researchers are identifying the value of diagnosing pre diabetes condition as the initial phase of the treatment in order to protect people suffering from more critical health complications. Early diagnosis as well as treatment of pre diabetes may help people not suffering from diabetes type II and all other related health hazards such as heart problem, high blood pressure, eye and kidney diseases, etc.

Symptoms

In the majority of the cases, pre diabetes condition does not come along with any apparent symptoms. However, for some people the symptoms of diabetes are prevalent. These symptoms are unusual thirst, a recurrent desire to urinate, blurred vision or intense feeling of fatigue. In addition, the medical lab test may reveal few symptoms that can ascertain whether pre diabetes is present or not.

Diagnosis

In order to investigate whether you are having pre diabetes or not, the doctor usually performs two blood tests. One is fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test and the other one is oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). While performing FPG test, you need to take a minimum of 8 hours fasting, following which your blood glucose level is measured. This laboratory test can identify whether your body can metabolize glucose correctly or not.

If the test investigates that your blood glucose level is abnormal, it means you have acquired ‘impaired fasting glucose’. In other words, you have developed pre diabetes.

Who Needs to Be Tested for Pre Diabetes?

You should go for the test if you are over 45 years of age and having any possible risk factors for diabetes. Additionally, you should also care for the test, if you are overweight and having a BMI over 25. Ethnicity may also play significant role in the development of diabetes. You can even consider going for the test if you have a history of different health complications such as high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, gestational diabetes, central obesity, polycystic ovarian syndrome or insulin resistance.

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