Diabetes is a serious but manageable condition

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. Diabetes, a disorder of how the body uses sugar, affects more than 34 million Americans — or slightly more than 1 in 10 citizens — and contributes to more than 79,000 deaths in the United States each year.

Fortunately, diabetes is a manageable condition with at least 50 different medications available for treatment and a large pool of data on diet and lifestyle to help, as well. Today, most people with diabetes, who follow the advice of their caregivers, can enjoy an essentially normal life. Unfortunately for those who do not, the consequences are dire.

Failure to take diabetes seriously can result in vision loss or blindness, kidney disease, heart disease, nerve damage, and the loss of digits or limbs.

This year in the United States, more than 53,000 poorly-controlled diabetics started dialysis, the process of artificially cleaning the blood, which is usually done three times a week at a specialty center and can continue lifelong. More than 7 million uncontrolled diabetics had vision complications or went blind. At least 73,000 underwent surgical amputations. Of the more than 79,000 deaths, 65%, or 51,000, were due to heart disease or stroke, a rate two to three times that of the general population.

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