Could you be diabetic and not know it?

Tom Hanks is the latest in a string of celebrities to announce he has Type 2 diabetes.  You might even know someone who has the disease, which affects more than 26 million people in the United States.  What you might not know is that roughly seven million of these diabetics do not even know they are sick.

Diabetes develops when the pancreas does not make enough insulin (a hormone that helps sugar get into the cells of the body) or the body cannot use its own insulin as well as it should.  This causes sugars to build up in the blood and can lead to serious health problems, including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, lower-extremity amputations and even death. 

Diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.  It mainly occurs in two forms:

1.      Type 1 diabetes develops when the pancreas makes little to no insulin.  This form of diabetes was once called juvenile diabetes.  It is usually diagnosed in children, teenagers or young adults.

2.      Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body is resistant to the effects of insulin or the pancreas produces some, but not enough insulin.  Between 90 and 95 percent of all people who have been diagnosed with diabetes have type 2.

One of the reasons diabetes goes undiagnosed in so many people is that type 2 diabetes develops slowly.  Many people will have this form of diabetes for as long as 10 years without noticing any symptoms of the disease.  In the meantime, the disease can do irreparable damage to the body.  Diabetes can also go undiagnosed because many of its symptoms may appear harmless and may vary from person to person.

Two common symptoms of the disease are increased thirst and frequent urination.  Other warning signs include:

• Flu-like symptoms
• Weight gain or loss
• Blurred vision
• Slow-healing sores or frequent infections
• Nerve damage
• Red, swollen, tender gums

Doctors and researchers do not fully understand why some people develop diabetes while others do not.  However, there are certain factors that may increase your risk.

• Family history – Your chance of developing type 1 or type 2 diabetes increases if you have a parent or sibling with the disease.
• Weight – Being overweight is one of the main risk factors for diabetes.  Eight out of 10 people with type 2 diabetes are overweight.
• Inactivity – The less active you are, the greater your risk of diabetes.  Physical activity helps control your weight, uses up glucose, makes your cells more sensitive to insulin, increases blood flow and improves circulation in even the smallest blood vessels.
• Age – Your risk of type 2 diabetes increases as you get older, especially past the age of 45.
• Race – Type 2 diabetes is more common among African American, Hispanic and American Indian communities.  Type 1 diabetes, on the other hand, is more common in white Americans and in European countries such as Finland and Sweden.

If you have risk factors for diabetes and are experiencing any of the signs and symptoms of the disease, see your doctor immediately.  A fasting blood glucose test, which measures your blood glucose after eight hours without eating, will probably be administered.  If the results are positive, a second test will most likely be run on a different day.  Do not assume your doctor will automatically test you for diabetes.  Doctors do not usually screen for diabetes during routine visits.

There is currently no cure for diabetes.  However, the disease can be managed by monitoring blood sugar levels, maintaining a healthy lifestyle comprised of diet, exercise and a healthy weight.  Medications may also be used when these treatments are not sufficient.  Diabetics who follow these treatments can often lead relatively normal lives.  Those who remain undiagnosed run the risk of developing life-threatening diseases, disabilities and death.