Diabetes Also called: DM, Diabetes mellitus Summary Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. Glucose comes from the foods you eat. Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose get into your cells to give them energy. With type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin. With type 2 diabetes, the more common type, your body does not make or use insulin well. Without enough insulin, the glucose stays in your blood. You can also have prediabetes. This means that your blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. Having prediabetes puts you at a higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes. Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause serious problems. It can damage your eyes, kidneys, and nerves. Diabetes can also cause heart disease, stroke and even the need to remove a limb. Pregnant women can also get diabetes, called gestational diabetes. Blood tests can show if you have diabetes. One type of test, the A1C, can also check on how you are managing your diabetes. Exercise, weight control and sticking to your meal plan can help control your diabetes. You should also monitor your blood glucose level and take medicine if prescribed. NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases NIH MedlinePlus Magazine “Control Your Diabetes. For Life.” “Stop Diabetes Now!” American Idol’s Randy Jackson Discussing Diabetes with Your Healthcare Provider Facing Diabetes: What You Need to Know For Men, Ignoring Diabetes Can Be Deadly Preventing and Managing Diabetes Complications Preventing Diabetes Types of Diabetes Living With A1C Test American Association for Clinical Chemistry Anger American Diabetes Association Changing Your Habits: Steps to Better Health National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Checking for Ketones American Diabetes Association Diabetes HealthSense: Resources for Living Well National Diabetes Education Program Have Diabetes? Get Tips for Safe Travels Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Healthy Coping American Association of Diabetes Educators How to Help a Loved One Cope with Diabetes National Diabetes Education Program MedlinePlus: Diabetic Diet National Library of Medicine Monitoring American Association of Diabetes Educators Prepare for Diabetes Care in Heat and Emergencies Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Stress American Diabetes Association What I Need to Know about Physical Activity and Diabetes National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Your First Visit (to a Doctor) American Diabetes Association Your Health Care Team American Diabetes Association Array A1C test Blood sugar test – blood Choose More than 50 Ways to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes National Diabetes Education Program Diabetes Diabetes – keeping active Diabetes – low blood sugar – self-care Diabetes – tests and checkups Diabetes – when you are sick Diabetes and exercise Giving an insulin injection High blood sugar Diagnosis and Tests A1C Test and Diabetes National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Diagnosis of Diabetes and Prediabetes National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Glucose Tests American Association for Clinical Chemistry Microalbumin Test Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Encyclopedia ACE blood test Anti-insulin antibody test Gastroparesis Glucose tolerance test – non-pregnant Glucose urine test Immunizations – diabetes Insulin C-peptide Ketones urine test Lactic acidosis Preparing for surgery when you have diabetes Serum ketones test Related Issues Alcohol American Diabetes Association Be Active When You Have Diabetes National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Causes of Diabetes National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Diabetes Myths American Diabetes Association Food Safety for People with Diabetes Food and Drug Administration For People of African, Mediterranean, or Southeast Asian Heritage: Important Information about Diabetes Blood Tests National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Is Hyperinsulinemia a Form of Diabetes? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research MedlinePlus: Prediabetes National Library of Medicine Speak Up — Diabetes: Five Ways to Be Active in Your Care at the Hospital Joint Commission Step in the Right Direction: Lose Weight and Lower Your Risk for Type 2 Diabetes National Diabetes Education Program Treating Influenza (Flu) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vaccinations for Adults with Diabetes Immunization Action Coalition Weight-Loss Surgery for Adults with Diabetes or Prediabetes Who Are at the Lower Levels of Obesity Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Prevention and Risk Factors Am I at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes? Taking Steps to Lower Your Risk of Getting Diabetes National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Get Real: You Don’t Have to Knock Yourself Out to Prevent Diabetes National Diabetes Education Program My Game Plan: Food and Activity Tracker National Diabetes Education Program Small Steps, Big Rewards: Your Game Plan to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes National Diabetes Education Program Take Steps to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Your Game Plan to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes: Fat and Calorie Counter National Diabetes Education Program Find an Expert American Diabetes Association American Diabetes Association Directory of Diabetes Organizations National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Find a Diabetes Educator American Association of Diabetes Educators National Diabetes Education Program National Diabetes Education Program National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Clinical Trials ClinicalTrials.gov: Diabetes Mellitus National Institutes of Health Reference Desk Common Terms American Diabetes Association Treatments and Therapies Complementary and Alternative Medical Therapies for Diabetes National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases MedlinePlus: Diabetes Medicines National Library of Medicine Seniors Diabetes National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Diabetes in Older People – A Disease You Can Manage National Institute on Aging Diabetes Resources for Older Adults National Diabetes Education Program Diabetes: Unique to Older Adults AGS Foundation for Health in Aging Five Ways Older Adults Can Be More Active National Diabetes Education Program Start Here Diabetes American Academy of Family Physicians Living With Diabetes National Diabetes Education Program Snapshot: Diabetes in the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Your Guide to Diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2 National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Women Diabetes Fact Sheet Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health Women and Diabetes: Frequently Asked Questions American Diabetes Association Women at High Risk for Diabetes Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Statistics and Research Diabetes Interactive Atlas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Facts about Diabetes: A Leading Cause of Death in the U.S. National Diabetes Education Program FastStats: Diabetes National Center for Health Statistics National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2014 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention NIH Researchers Find Resveratrol Helps Protect Against Diabetes in Animal Study National Institute on Aging Patient Access to Research American Diabetes Association Recent Advances (in Diabetes Research) American Diabetes Association Tuberculosis and Diabetes World Health Organization Videos and Tutorials Diabetes Movie (For Parents) Nemours Foundation Know Your Diabetes ABCs National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Genetics Genetics Home Reference: 6q24-related transient neonatal diabetes mellitus National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: congenital generalized lipodystrophy National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Friedreich ataxia National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: maternally inherited diabetes and deafness National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Rabson-Mendenhall syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Tangier disease National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: thiamine-responsive megaloblastic anemia syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: type A insulin resistance syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Wolfram syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics of Diabetes American Diabetes Association Monogenic Forms of Diabetes: Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus and Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young Array Men Men American Diabetes Association Journal Articles Diabetes Latest News Cost of Insulin Rises Threefold in Just a Decade HealthDay Diabetes May Raise Risk for Dangerous Staph Infection HealthDay Diabetes Steals Years, Adds Disabilities HealthDay Diabetes Cases Quadruple Worldwide Since 1980: Report HealthDay