Q: What are the different types of diabetes?
A: The two types of diabetes, insulin-dependent (type 1) and noninsulin-dependent (type 2), are different disorders. While the causes, short-term effects, and treatments for the two types differ, both can cause the same long-term health problems. Both types also affect the body’s ability to use digested food for energy. Diabetes doesn’t interfere with digestion, but it does prevent the body from using an important product of digestion, glucose (commonly known as sugar), for energy.

Q: What are the symptoms of diabetes?
A: The symptoms of diabetes may begin gradually and can be hard to identify at first. They may include fatigue, a sick feeling, frequent urination, especially at night, and excessive thirst. When there is extra sugar in blood, one way the body gets rid of it is through frequent urination. This loss of fluids causes extreme thirst. Other symptoms may include sudden weight loss, blurred vision, and slow healing of skin, gum, and urinary tract infections. Women may notice genital itching.

Q: What causes diabetes?
A: Health care providers do not yet know what causes diabetes. The following factors may increase your chance of getting diabetes:

• Family history of diabetes
• Race or ethnic background
• Being overweight
• Age (Chances increase with age)
• Taking certain medicines
• Being pregnant*

*Pregnancy puts extra stress on a woman’s body that causes some women to develop diabetes. Blood sugar levels often return to normal after childbirth. Yet, women who get diabetes during pregnancy have an increased chance of developing diabetes later in life

Q: How do I manage my diabetes?
A: Diabetes is managed through proper diet, exercise and, if needed, medication. People with diabetes must use home and office tests to monitor the levels of sugar, cholesterol, and triglycerides (a type of fat) in their blood. Steps are then taken to keep the levels of these substances as normal as possible.

• Type 1 diabetes is controlled with:
• Insulin shots
• Meal planning
• Exercise
• Type 2 diabetes is controlled with:
• Diet and exercise
• Medicine taken by the mouth
• Insulin shots (less common)

Q: How can I know if I have diabetes?
A: Your health care provider can perform blood and urine tests to see if you have diabetes. Normal blood sugar is between 70 mg/dl and 100 mg/dl. The standard diagnosis of diabetes is made when two blood tests show that your fasting blood sugar level (blood sugar before you have eaten anything) is 126 mg/dl or greater.

Q: Can diabetes be reversible? Is there a cure?
A: No. A cure for diabetes has not yet been found. However, diabetes can be treated and controlled. Most people with diabetes manage their disease and lead normal lives. Without proper care, diabetes can lead to:

• Heart disease
• Kidney disease
• High blood pressure
• Low blood pressure
• Eye damage and blindness
• Gum disease
• Serious infections in feet, sometimes requiring amputation
• Damage to nerves, resulting in pain or loss of sensation