Diabetes in Canada
There are 11 million Canadians living with diabetes conditions right now, meaning approximately 1 in 3 people are affected by this. Diabetes is a chronic illness that influences everyday life. It can become debilitating, cause severe injury, or even become fatal under some circumstances, but is often manageable with proper medical help.
Diabetes is a condition that affects the body’s ability to produce insulin or its ability to use the insulin that it produces. Insulin is a hormone normally released by the body that helps it to process and use the sugars that it ingests.
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by the body’s inability to create insulin due to an autoimmune problem. Without any insulin being produced, sugars build up in the blood rather than being used for energy, resulting in dangerous blood sugar levels. People with type 1 diabetes take insulin injections to help their body manage sugars properly.
Type 2 diabetes is characterized by an insulin insensitivity, where the body is unable to use the insulin that it produces well. About 90% of people with diabetes have type 2, which can be managed through diet and exercise, and sometimes medication.
Other types of diabetes not as common include, gestational diabetes that may occur during pregnancy, or latent autoimmune diabetes in adults, which is often classified as a variety of type 1. Prediabetes is a condition that has blood sugars that are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes.
What does diabetes look like?
Diabetic people with untreated blood sugars may experience unusual extreme thirst, frequent urination and increased hunger. They may also have extreme weight changes (a gain or loss), extreme fatigue, blurred vision, frequent or recurring infections or slowly healing cuts or bruises. Some people may note tingling and numbness in the hands and feet and possible difficulty getting or maintaining an erection.
Who can develop diabetes?
Some risk factors such as age, ethnicity and family history cannot be changed while others like diet, physical activity and weight can be decreased with lifestyle changes. Discussing diabetes and personal risk factors with a healthcare provider is recommended for everyone, and adults over the age of 40 should be tested for diabetes a minimum of every 3 years. The longer the body is exposed to high blood sugar levels, the greater chance of problems occurring and hence the importance of quick diagnosis and starting treatment and plans of management.
Risks associated with Diabetes
Diabetes related health complications can be dangerous or even life-threatening. Extreme blood sugars can result in kidney disease eventually requiring dialysis, neuropathy and foot problems that could lead to amputations, eye disease that can cause blindness, and a greater risk for heart disease, stroke and other medical complications.
Diabetics may also experience a diabetic emergency where they have an acute problem with extremely high or low blood sugar that is an immediate threat to them. Hypoglycemia is where the sugar levels in the body become too low causing fatigue, sweating, twitching, sensation to pass out or even loss of consciousness. Hyperglycemia is when the sugar levels become too high resulting in frequent urination, extreme thirst, blurred vision and feeling tired. Diabetic emergencies can be dangerous and reach a point where it is difficult for them to help themselves to correct their sugar levels requiring emergency medical help.
If people make the commitment of managing their diabetes they can live a healthy independent lifestyle. Education is a critical step, being informed and understanding their health condition, learning about nutrition, medications, and lifestyle management including physical activity and reducing stress.
Sources:
- “Diabetes Canada.” Canadian Diabetes Association, Canadian Diabetes Association 11883 0744 RR000, www.diabetes.ca/.
- Canada, Government of Canada Statistics. “Diabetes, by age group and sex (Number of persons).” Government of Canada, Statistics Canada, 7 Mar. 2016, www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/health53a-eng.htm.