Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a persistent health condition that causes the body to not produce enough insulin or to become resistant to insulin. Type 2 diabetes symptoms include increased thirst, increased...

If you have pre-exiting diabetes and are pregnant, you may be at an increase risk for serious complications for you and your unborn child. Class D diabetes is one of the classifications your...

Hyperglycemia, a sudden increase in high blood sugar, typically occurs as a complication of diabetes. Hyperglycemia requires prompt treatment to avoid serious complications such as diabetic coma...

Diabetic acidosis occurs when not enough insulin is in the body to help convert glucose to energy. Ketones, which are byproducts from the breakdown of fats, build up in the body because of the...

The body processes glucose and turns it into energy, causing blood glucose levels to fluctuate throughout the day. Sometimes a person's glucose levels may remain elevated for an extended period....

Diabetes can be a risk factor for hypertension. Diabetic nephropathy, which is kidney damage, is often the cause of hypertension in individuals with diabetes.

In the past, you could only get a hemoglobin A1C test at your doctor's office. Now you can purchase it at your pharmacy and take the test at home. You can take a blood sample from your finger...

Oral drugs, such as metformin, are usually the first type of drugs prescribed to diabetic patients to help manage their diabetes. In many cases, the oral drugs become less capable over time of...

Doctors use the A1C and blood glucose tests to monitor your blood sugar levels. If results are not normal, it may be a sign of diabetes which can eventually lead to severe complications or death.

Diabetes predisposes you to many other health problems, including heart disease. If you have developed both, healthy eating is paramount. Proper diet can control blood sugar as well as contribute...

According to the 2007 National Diabetes Fact Sheet (the latest year for which such date is available), an estimated 24 million Americans have diabetes, and was the 7th leading cause of death in...

A woman's menstrual cycle (and accompanying hormonal changes) can cause variations in blood glucose levels. Many women may note an increase in their blood glucose after ovulation, which then...

According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 23 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, with 90-95 percent having Type 2 diabetes. A variety of diabetic treatment medications are...

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), 23.6 million American children and adults, or 7.8 percent of the population, have diabetes. Along with environmental risks, there is a...

A high-fiber diet that is also rich in calcium is often prescribed for people with diabetes, hypertension or certain cancers. Researchers have found, however, that although a high-fiber diet can...

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs because of high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. The disease is often successfully managed with a diet that emphasizes healthy...

When the smooth muscles lining the blood vessels in the penis relax, allowing increased blood flow to the corpus cavernosa (chambers along the penis length), the blood causes the penis to become...

Kidney stones are incredibly painful and have the potential to become a medical emergency. About 70 percent of people that suffer from kidney stones are male, which is partially why kidney stones...

In the United States, diabetes is reaching epidemic levels. Uncontrolled diabetes can be a horrible condition. It will slowly rob you everything you hold dear including your sight, your legs,...

Newly-diagnosed diabetic patients have a lot that they must learn and adjust to. Many diabetic patients do not know what blood glucose is or how to test it. They are generally unaware of how...

A glucose tolerance test is administered to determine whether a mother-to-be has developed gestational diabetes, a potential side effect of pregnancy that can cause the fetus to gain an abnormal...

Dangerously high blood glucose is referred to as hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia may result in extreme illness, coma or even death if not treated promptly.

Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults in the United States, according to the Mayo Clinic. Diabetes damages blood vessels in the retina, the tissue that lines the back of the eye and...

Selenium is a trace mineral that has been the subject of many health claims. Studies suggest that it may lower blood glucose levels and could provide antioxidant protection to diabetics. However,...

Diabetics can keep track of their average blood glucose level over the past 120 days with an HbA1c blood test. This is a measure of the percentage of hemoglobin in the bloodstream that has been...

Approximately 23.6 million adults and children, or 7.8 percent of the U.S. population, have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Diabetics must monitor their carbohydrate...

A neurogenic ulcer, commonly referred to as a diabetic ulcer, typically begins as an open wound, such as a small cut, blister or sore on the bottom of the foot. While the wound can occur on other...

Gymnema sylvestre is a large, deciduous plant native to monsoon forests in India. According to the horticultural department at Purdue University, it has been used in India for the treatment of...

Oral drugs, such as Metformin, are usually the drugs prescribed to a newly-diagnosed diabetic. However, some diabetics are not diagnosed with diabetes until the diabetes has progressed to an...

Diabetes can be a serious medical condition if it is not properly monitored. In addition to regularly exercising and checking one's blood sugar, a diabetic person should also eat a healthy menu...

Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA), sometimes called Type 1.5 diabetes, is a variety of Type I diabetes that affects adults and usually isn't diagnosed until after the age of 30. Unlike...

A diabetic diet plan is a key factor in learning to manage your diabetes. The key to learning to manage your diabetes exists in two realms your activity and your diet. Though there is no set in...

Digested food enters the bloodstream as glucose, and the pancreas normally produces insulin to move glucose into cells for energy. Diabetes is marked by chronic high blood sugar---the pancreas...

Many diabetics have the option of receiving their required insulin doses through an insulin pump. Some diabetics are not good candidates for the insulin pump. Those that do qualify are encouraged...

Obtained mainly from food sources, glucose provides the brain and body with its main source of energy. Sometimes things may go awry and blood glucose concentrations may drop or elevate.

Elevated blood sugar (hyperglycemia) is a condition characterized by excessive amounts of glucose in the bloodstream. It is frequently an early sign of developing diabetes, and the condition is...

For people with diabetes, the idea of losing a limb to disease is not just a scary thought. For diabetics, injuries can easily become life-threatening problems requiring amputation if they are not...

The Joslin Diabetes Center tells visitors to its website that older diabetics battle special concerns, including limited mobility, difficulty exercising and struggling to prepare their own healthy...

The glycemic index rating of a food indicates how rapidly it causes a spike in blood sugar after it's eaten. A low glycemic index food is absorbed more evenly by the body, while a high glycemic...

Losing weight is often important for people with diabetes. For people with diabetes, losing weight can help you lower blood glucose levels, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, helping you...

The first and essential step in diabetes control is diet and exercise, according to the American Diabetes Association. The food that you eat can either help maintain a healthy blood glucose level,...

Blood sugar levels, also known as blood glucose levels, change in the bloodstream depending on what you eat and the efficiency of insulin production in your body.

The National Institutes of Health define diabetes as a metabolism disorder. Hydration is important to diabetics as water in the blood stream helps transport glucose, the body's main energy source,...

A1c test results represent average blood glucose levels for the prior three months. An elevated A1c results indicate a higher average blood sugar level, putting a diabetic at greater risk for...

According to information from the medical website Medline Plus, diabetes is a disease characterized by the body's inability to produce or properly utilize the storage hormone insulin. Insulin...

The Mayo Clinic describes type 2 diabetes as a disease that is caused by the body's inability to regulate the levels of sugar in the bloodstream with insulin. The imbalance can lead to damage of...

Diabetics used to have to visit their doctor's office -- and possibly a separate laboratory -- in order to have their A1c tested at the recommended three-month intervals. Now, the test can be...