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From Diabetes, with Love

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In my family there are many things that you inherit like a short fuse, sarcasm, and risk of diabetes. we all know that diabetes is something that is not joked about especially in my family; we have lost many family members who didn't exactly take care of themselves or their diabetes. Now most people diabetes only runs on side of the family and it's usually on the father side, as for me it runs on both sides of my family so that means I run an extremely high risk of it. 

Picturehttp://keepingkidssafenow.info
There are two type of diabetes and all three are different, but still lead to the same thing if not taken care of right.
Type 1 diabetes also known as juvenile diabetes  is when the body does not produce insulin. With the help of insulin therapy and other treatments, even young children can learn to manage their condition and live long, healthy lives.
Type 2 diabetes is when your body does not use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance. Your pancreas makes extra insulin to make up for it. Over time it isn't able to keep up and can't make enough insulin to keep your blood glucose at normal levels.


Symptoms- Early discovery and treatment of diabetes can decrease the risk of acquiring the complications of diabetes. The following symptoms of diabetes are common. Though, some people with type 2 diabetes have symptoms so mild that they go unnoticed.
Common symptoms of diabetes:
Urinating often
Feeling very thirsty
Feeling very hungry - even though you are eating
Extreme fatigue
Blurry vision
Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
Weight loss - even though you are eating more (type 1)
Tingling, pain, or numbness in the hands/feet (type 2)

See more at: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/symptoms/?loc=db-slabnav#sthash.zSHQRW0I.dpuf

Statistics About Diabetes
Total prevalence of diabetes Total: 25.8 million children and adults in the United States—8.3% of the population—have diabetes.
Diagnosed: 18.8 million people
Undiagnosed: 7.0 million people
Prediabetes: 79 million people*
New Cases: 1.9 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older in 2010. In contrast to the 2007 National Diabetes Fact Sheet, which used fasting glucose data to estimate undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes, the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet uses both fasting glucose and A1C levels to derive estimates for undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes. These tests were chosen because they are most frequently used in clinical practice.
Under 20 years of age
215,000, or 0.26% of all people in this age group have diabetes. About 1 in every 400 children and adolescents has diabetes
Age 20 years or older
25.6 million, or 11.3% of all people in this age group have diabetes
Age 65 years or older
10.9 million, or 26.9% of all people in this age group have diabetes
Men
13.0 million, or 11.8% of all men aged 20 years or older have diabetes
Women
12.6 million, or 10.8% of all women aged 20 years or older have diabetes
Race and ethnic differences in prevalence of diagnosed diabetes After adjusting for population age differences, 2007-2009 national survey data for people diagnosed with diabetes, aged 20 years or older include the following prevalence by race/ethnicity:
7.1% of non-Hispanic whites
8.4% of Asian Americans
12.6% of non-Hispanic blacks
11.8% of Hispanics
Among Hispanics rates were:
7.6% for Cubans
13.3% for Mexican Americans
13.8% for Puerto Ricans.
Morbidity and Mortality
In 2007, diabetes was listed as the underlying cause on 71,382 death certificates and was listed as a contributing factor on an additional 160,022 death certificates. This means that diabetes contributed to a total of 231,404 deaths.
Complications Heart disease and stroke
In 2004, heart disease was noted on 68% of diabetes-related death certificates among people aged 65 years or older. In 2004, stroke was noted on 16% of diabetes-related death certificates among people aged 65 years or older. Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes. The risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher among people with diabetes.
High blood pressure-
In 2005-2008, of adults aged 20 years or older with self-reported diabetes, 67% had blood pressure greater than or equal to 140/90 mmHg or used prescription medications for hypertension.
Blindness
Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults aged 20–74 years. In 2005-2008, 4.2 million (28.5%) people with diabetes aged 40 years or older had diabetic retinopathy, and of these, almost 0.7 million (4.4% of those with diabetes) had advanced diabetic retinopathy that could lead to severe vision loss.
Kidney disease
Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, accounting for 44% of new cases in 2008. In 2008, 48,374 people with diabetes began treatment for end-stage kidney disease in the United States. In 2008, a total of 202,290 people with end-stage kidney disease due to diabetes were living on chronic dialysis or with a kidney transplant in the United States.
Nervous system disease (Neuropathy)
About 60% to 70% of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nervous system damage.
Amputation
More than 60% of nontraumatic lower-limb amputations occur in people with diabetes. In 2006, about 65,700 nontraumatic lower-limb amputations were performed in people with diabetes.
Cost of Diabetes Updated March 6, 2013
$245 billion: Total costs of diagnosed diabetes in the United States in 2012
$176 billion for direct medical costs
$69 billion in reduced productivity
After adjusting for population age and sex differences, average medical expenditures among people with diagnosed diabetes were 2.3 times higher than what expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes.
For Additional Information - See more at: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/#sthash.PQvnBOwf.dpuf

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Because of the high chance of me getting diabetes I have to make sure my weight and what i put into my body is good and not unhealthy. I go to the doctor and test my blood every six months to make sure that I am okay. Now I do it not just for me, but for my grandparents because they are living with diabetes and they don't want their grandchildren to go through same things as they do. As for me, I continue to keep myself healthy because seeing my nieces and nephews grow up and growing up to be something my famliy can be proud of is totally worth it.