Sneaky and silent – two adjectives health care providers use when talking about type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association estimates that 30 million people have type 2 diabetes and seven million are currently undiagnosed.
Diabetes can sneak up on you.
Type 2 diabetes develops over time. Laurie Sandberg, B.S.N., RN, CDE, of Meritus Endocrinology Specialists, says, “Blood sugars increase slowly and gradually. You typically don’t wake up one day with a blood sugar level of 300.”
With type 2 diabetes, your body becomes resistant to insulin or the pancreas is unable to produce the amount of insulin you need to control your blood sugar. Individuals with diabetes have too much glucose or blood sugar in their bloodstream which can negatively affect the whole body, including the cardiovascular system, circulation, eyesight and kidney function.
Diabetes is the silent killer.
People with type 2 diabetes often have no symptoms at first.
“Symptoms can be mild or absent initially,” says Sandberg. “Later, as the blood sugar approaches 250-300 Mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter), a person may experience fatigue, weight loss, excessive thirst, constant hunger and frequent urination.”
Health care professionals say a person can have type 2 diabetes for years without knowing it. You should pay close attention to red flags such as increased urination, increased thirst, blurry vision, slow healing sores or frequent infections.
