By SMT Medical Contributing Writer

With nearly 26 million children and adults in American living with diabetes, and another 79 million at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes, the disease is taking a devastating physical, emotional and financial toll on our country.

There are more than seven million Americans undiagnosed with diabetes. We encourage everyone to take control of your health and learn the signs and symptoms of diabetes.  

Health messages can so easily be lost amid the constant barrage of information you receive every day. To make it easy, below is a list of type 1 and 2 symptoms that can help you determine whether you or someone you care about should be thinking about this disease.

Type 1 Diabetes

• 
• Frequent urination
• Unusual thirst
• Extreme hunger
• Unusual weight loss
• Extreme fatigue and Irritability

Type 2 Diabetes

(Often people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms)

• Any of the type 1 symptoms
• Frequent infections
• Blurred vision
• Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
• Tingling/numbness in the hands/fee
• Recurring skin, gum, or bladder infections

And, we don’t want to talk about the symptoms without also mentioning a few steps you can take to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. Did you know that as little as 30 minutes a day, five days a week, of moderate physical activity or losing 7 percent of your body mass – that’s only 15 pounds if you weigh 200 pounds – can make all the difference!

With nearly 26 million children and adults in American living with diabetes, and another 79 million at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes, the disease is taking a devastating physical, emotional and financial toll on our country.  Yet, most Americans don’t consider diabetes a serious matter. They feel it is someone else’s responsibility; someone else’s problem.