Heart Disease

If you have diabetes — a high level of glucose, or "sugar", in your blood — you have a high risk of coronary heart disease. Compared with people who do not have diabetes, you are also more likely to have high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol. In addition to causing heart disease, diabetes that is not controlled properly can lead to the development of kidney disease, blindness, nerve and blood vessel damage, and difficulties in fighting infection. So you can see how important it is to keep your diabetes under control.

The type of diabetes that develops in adults is usually "non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus", or NIDDM. This is the most common type of diabetes. In NIDDM, the pancreas makes insulin, but the body is unable to use it efficiently. Insulin helps the glucose that is in the blood enter the body's cells, where it is turned into a form of energy that is needed for the cells to perform their various functions. When the insulin does not work efficiently, glucose is unable to enter the cells adequately, and too much glucose builds up in the blood. The result is that the tissues and organs of the body cannot function properly.

Although there is no cure for diabetes, there are steps you can take to keep your diabetes under control. This information will tell you how, by focusing on the three key elements of diabetes control:

• Medication
• Diet
• Exercise

Your doctor will help you with a diabetes management program that is just right for you.