Diabetes Health Center
Diabetes is a number of diseases that involve problems with the hormone insulin. Normally, the pancreas (an organ behind the stomach) releases insulin to help your body store and use the sugar and fat from the food you eat. Diabetes can occur when the pancreas produces very little or no insulin, or when the body does not respond appropriately to insulin. As yet, there is no cure. People with diabetes need to manage their disease to stay healthy.
Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism — the way our bodies use digested food for growth and energy. There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.
- Signs & Symptoms of Diabetes : The warning signs of diabetes can be so mild that you don’t notice them. That’s especially true of type 2 diabetes. With type 1 diabetes, the symptoms usually happen quickly, in a matter of days or a few weeks.
- Risk Factors for Diabetes :
One of every four people with diabetes doesn’t know they have it. See if your risk of having the disease is high.
- What to Expect at the Doctor’s Office :
Diabetes and prediabetes are diagnosed with a fasting plasma glucose test, oral glucose tolerance test, or random plasma glucose test.
- Oral Glucose Tolerance Testing :
Although doctors don’t routinely use it anymore, the oral glucose tolerance test is the gold standard for diagnosing type 2 diabetes. It’s still commonly used to diagnose gestational diabetes, a condition that a woman can get while pregnant.
- Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) Testing :
The hemoglobin A1c test, also called HbA1c, glycated hemoglobin test, or glycohemoglobin, is an important blood test that shows how well your diabetes is being controlled.
- Diabetes and Urine Testing :
Two simple tests that check your urine can help you and your doctor watch for kidney disease and severe high blood sugar.