What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition that happens when your blood sugar (glucose) is too high. Diabetes is a condition that happens when your blood sugar (glucose) is too high. It develops when your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin or any at all, or when your body isn’t responding to the effects of insulin properly. Diabetes affects people of all ages. Most forms of diabetes are chronic (lifelong), and all forms are manageable with medications and/or lifestyle changes.
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Diabetes Diagnosis and Management
Type 1 diabetes symptoms often start suddenly and are often the reason for checking blood sugar levels. Because symptoms of other types of diabetes and prediabetes come on more gradually or may not be easy to see, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has developed screening guidelines. The ADA recommends that the following people be screened for diabetes:
Anyone who has HIV is advised to be tested.
Anyone with a body mass index higher than 25 (23 for Asian Americans), regardless of age, who has additional risk factors. These factors include high blood pressure, non-typical cholesterol levels, an inactive lifestyle, a history of polycystic ovary syndrome or heart disease, and having a close relative with diabetes.
Anyone older than age 35 is advised to get an initial blood sugar screening. If the results are normal, they should be screened every three years after that.
Women who have had gestational diabetes are advised to be screened for diabetes every three years.
Anyone who has been diagnosed with prediabetes is advised to be tested every year.
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