1 person in Ontario is diagnosed with diabetes every 20 minutes.
In Ontario over 600,000 people have been diagnosed with diabetes and at least 300,000 people do not know that they have it.
- Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney disease, heart disease, stroke, limb amputation and premature death.
- The number of people with diabetes is expected to double by the year 2016.
What is Diabetes? In order for the body to work properly it requires energy. Energy for the body comes in the form of glucose or ‘sugar’. Insulin is a hormone that is responsible for taking glucose from the blood into the cells of the body where it can be used. Diabetes is a disease in which the body is unable to make insulin (type 1 diabetes) or to use insulin properly (type 2 diabetes). In the Canadian population type 2 diabetes is more common.
A person could have diabetes for up to 12 years and not know they have it. Many people are diagnosed only after they develop complications.
What are the signs and symptoms of diabetes? Am I at risk? How do I prevent getting diabetes?
