You Must Know
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease that can be treated, but, as yet, it cannot be cured. Before the 1920’s, diabetics usually died soon after the diagnosis of their disease. Diabetes can be controlled, however. The more than millions people in the world with diabetes can live long lives, hold productive jobs, marry and have children.
Despite this seeming normality, it must be remembered that diabetes can have serious complications. It is the third leading cause of death in some countries, following only heart disease and cancer. It is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. It causes one quarter of all cases of kidney failure. It can lead to heart disease, stroke, gangrene and nerve damage. And it is on the rise, with a 6 percent increase in new cases diagnosed each year.