November is diabetes awareness month. To spread awareness we have made a list full of interesting facts about diabetes.
- Type 1 diabetes is characterized by a lack of insulin production and type 2 diabetes results from the body’s ineffective use of insulin.
- About 1/3 of all people with diabetes do not know they have the disease.
- Type 2 diabetes often does not have any symptoms.
- Only about 5% of all people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.
- If you find yourself at risk for type 2 diabetes, it can be prevented with moderate weight loss and 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each day.
- Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness is working-age adults.
- People with diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease than someone without diabetes.
- Good control of diabetes significantly reduces the risk of developing complications and prevents complications from getting worse.
- Bariatric surgery can reduce the symptoms of diabetes in obese people
- Total deaths from diabetes are projected to rise by more than 50% in the next 10 years.
- India has the highest populations of people with type 2 diabetes, more than any other country in the world.
- Diabetes symptoms such as thirst, weight loss and excess urination were recognized for more than 1200 years before the disease had a name.
- In ancient times, doctors would test for diabetes by tasting urine to see if it was sweet. People who tasted urine to check for diabetes were called “water tasters.”
- The first oral type 2 diabetes medication was identified in 1942.
- Seeing a podiatrist reduces your risk of hospitalization.