Diabetes is the fifth-deadliest disease. Since 1987 the death rate has increased by 45 percent. In 2002, diabetes claimed an astonishing 224,092 lives in the United States alone. It is believed that the number was higher since most deaths of the elderly had multiple chronic conditions associated with their death, including diabetes. Many people do not know that they have diabetes until they develop other life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney damage, nervous system damage, dental disease, sexual dysfunction, and several other complications. When you have diabetes, the above complication is side illnesses, diabetes is the root of all your medical problems and must be under control for you to recover from the side illnesses period! Being checked by your physician on a regular basis is necessary for your overall quality of life. If you do not know that you have diabetes, there is no other way of knowing that you have this deadly disease without a checkup.
There are several different types of diabetes, such as type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Type 1 is the body’s inability to produce insulin, people with type 1 are insulin-dependent for the remainder of their lives, and they must also keep close track of their diets. Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes; diabetes is a chronic disease and has no cure. While an estimated 14 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes, it is also estimated that close to 6.2 million are unaware that they have this deadly disease. In 2005 1.5 million new cases were diagnosed in people aged 20 and above. If this dangerous trend continues, it is believed that 1 in 3 Americans will develop diabetes in their lifetime. It is also estimated that 41 million Americans have pre-diabetes today.
Pre-diabetes is a dangerous condition, this is when the glucose level in the blood is not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes, yet the damage is being done to your internal organs. The body cannot handle any unsafe level of sugar or glucose in the blood for an extended period.