Diabetes: Different Challenges For Men And Women

Diabetes is a disease that affects the body's ability to produce or respond to insulin, a hormone that allows blood sugar to enter the cells of the body and be stored or used for energy. Type 1 diabetes occurs when a person no longer is capable of making any insulin. This type of diabetes usually begins in childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood and requires insulin injections for treatment. Type 2 diabetes occurs when a person becomes resistant to his or her own insulin, thereby creating a need for greater amounts of insulin. This type usually happens after age 45. Type 2 diabetes is closely linked with obesity. The rapid rise in obesity in the United States has accelerated the overall incidence of type 2 diabetes and increased the prevalence of the condition among young adults. Type 2 diabetes requires control with diet and exercise. In addition, oral medication or insulin may also be necessary.

The effects of diabetes can be very different for men and women. For example, women with type 2 diabetes are at greater risk than men with the disease for developing depression and cardiovascular disease.

Issues dealing with gender, age, and ethnicity add to the complexity of understanding and diagnosing diabetes. In fact, nearly one-third of women with diabetes do not recognize or do not experience the warning signs , and therefore go undiagnosed. Current estimates are that as many as 50 percent of people with diabetes in the United States are undiagnosed. There are also millions of women and men who have been diagnosed, but are not managing their diabetes. Anyone who does not have diabetes under control runs an increased risk for developing such diabetes-related complications as blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, and stroke as well as peripheral arterial disease that can lead to lower limb amputations. Left untreated, diabetes often leads to death.

Diabetes is a serious disease, but one that can be treated and managed with the guidance of a healthcare professional. Through proper diet, exercise, and/or medication, people with diabetes can lead full, active lives.

That's why identifying the millions of people with diabetes who are currently undiagnosed is so important. You owe it to yourself to learn the signs and symptoms of diabetes and have your blood sugar tested periodically. Also, you can support efforts in your community to screen and identify people at risk. Working together, we can help more people understand and manage their diabetes.

Am I at risk?