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Diabetes Services
Symptoms & Risk Factors
Diabetes means having too much sugar in your blood. Your body changes the food you eat into sugar. Sugar enters the bloodstream and is delivered to all your body cells. In turn, body cells use blood sugar for energy.
People with diabetes cannot get blood sugar into their body cells and, as a result, the blood sugar builds up. Over time, high blood sugar can damage the heart, arteries, eyes, nerves and kidneys, leading to serious health problems.
Be sure to read "Diabetes Success Story" featuring Joel Salter.
Common Symptoms of Diabetes
- Fatigue.
- Thirst.
- Excessive urination.
- Weight gain or loss.
- Blurred vision.
- Tingling in fingers or toes.
- Slow healing of injuries.
But, more than 50 percent of those diagnosed with diabetes have no symptoms or have such subtle symptoms that they are not aware of them.
You are at risk if you:
- Are age 45 or older.
- Are a member of a high-risk ethnic group (for example, African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Asian American or Pacific Islander).
- Are overweight.
- Have high blood pressure (at or above 140/90).
- Have a family history of diabetes.
- Have a history of diabetes during pregnancy, or you are a woman who has had a baby weighing more than 9 pounds at birth.
