| Abstract/Notes |
With the increase in the incidence of diabetes mellitus across all age ranges in the United States, this timely article examines what patients should know and practice. Excerpt: Diabetes is a severe health condition that can cause life-altering and even life-threatening problems, such as slow wound healing and nerve disorders. It can also complicate problems in muscles, bones, and joints. Diabetes results from an excessive buildup of glucose in your bloodstream. Glucose, or blood sugar, which the body gets from food and also manufactures in the liver and muscles, is a substance the body uses for energy and nutrition. To control glucose levels in
your blood, the body uses insulin, a substance produced by the pancreas. An imbalance in this system can cause pre-diabetes or diabetes. In most people, normal blood glucose levels range from 80 to 120. The levels vary depending on the time
of day and how long it has been since you’ve eaten. Levels can go as high as 180 within 2 hours after a meal. Pre-diabetes is excess blood glucose that is not severe enough to be called diabetes. The mild-to-moderate abnormal blood glucose levels of pre-diabetes can make you more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. This excerptis reproduced with permission of the publisher. Full text is available by subscription. |
