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Diabetes is a daily concern for
more than 16 million Americans (about 6% of the population). About
1,800 new cases are diagnosed each day. Unfortunately, about half
of all people with Type II diabetes are unaware that they have
it. Type I diabetes is usually detected right away due to the
severe symptoms.
Diabetes actually refers to several different diseases. The most
common types are Type I, or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
and Type II, or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. A third
type, gestational diabetes mellitus, occurs during some pregnancies.
Many cases of Type I diabetes appear in childhood; therefore it
used to be called juvenile-onset diabetes. Type II develops mostly
in adults and used to be called adult-onset diabetes. Type II
does not appear suddenly - instead, mild symptoms may develop
years before it is diagnosed.
All people with diabetes have too much sugar or glucose in their
blood. People usually have similar symptoms - unusual thirst,
frequent desire to urinate, blurred vision, fatigue. People with
Type II may also have leg pain due to nerve damage. The majority
of people with Type II diabetes are overweight.
The only way to be sure you have diabetes is through blood tests..
Risk factors are different for each type although having a family
history of the disease puts you at a greater risk for both types.
Type I develops in people under the age of 40, with half of the
diagnosed people under 20. Nearly all people diagnosed with Type
II are over 30 years of age. Type II is more common in overweight
adults, women who have given birth to babies over 9 lbs, people
with high blood pressure and those with high concentrations of
fat in the blood.
Be sure to talk to your doctor if you feel that you or any member
of your family may fit into the risk categories or be experiencing
symptoms of diabetes.
If you or a family member is diagnosed with either type of
diabetes, please be sure to visit the Moses Taylor HealthInfo
Library. The library has more than 40 books on diabetic topics
that you can borrow and lots of other information that will help
answer your questions. A few of our resources are discussed below:
1. American Diabetes Association Complete Guide to Diabetes. 1996.
This book, written by the ADA, is truly a "complete guide".
It contains information about diagnosis, management, your health
care team, insulin, healthy eating, diabetes tools, keeping fit,
complications, relationships, and a list of resources.
2. Brand-Name Diabetic Meals in Minutes. 1997. Also written by
the ADA, it contains quick and healthy recipes to make your life
easier and meals tastier! This is only one of many diabetic recipe
books in the HealthInfo Library.
3. The Diabetic Woman: All Your Questions Answered. 1995. This
book was written by Dr. Lois Jovanovic-Peterson, an endocrinologist
specializing in women and diabetes. It includes information particular
to women such as contraception, menopause and other general information
such as nutrition guidelines and self-care technology.
4. Raising a Child with Diabetes 1995. This is one of several
books in the library on children and diabetes. In this book you
will learn how to help your child maintain a busy lifestyle and
still feel healthy. It is written by two diabetes nurse educators.
5. Caring for the Diabetic Soul 1997. This book addresses the
emotional side of diabetes and offers patients help dealing with
the challenges of diabetic care.