Diabetes - The Impact
Being diagnosed with diabetes probably left you feeling confused
and overwhelmed. You may be having trouble concentrating on
learning all the things you have to do to follow your diabetes
care plan. Maybe you're thinking, "can I ever stick to
the diet?" or "I can't take an injection every other
day!" or "I pass out whenever I see blood -- I can't
do a blood test! " And you're probably wondering, "What
will diabetes do to me?"
All of these things have been said by people who are now
living successfully with their diabetes. How did they do it?
Almost everyone knows someone who has diabetes. More than
40 million people in India have diabetes mellitus--a serious,
lifelong condition. Each year, about 800,000 people are diagnosed
with diabetes.
Take one day at a time and learn all you can each day. The
more you know about diabetes and your self-care plan, the
less frightened you will be.
Why you should learn is because !
1) Heart disease is two to four times
more
common in people with diabetes than without.
2) Diabetes is a leading cause of adult blindness.
3) In India, people with diabetes
account
for around 30 per cent of all new cases of serious kidney
disease;
4) Worldwide, around 50% of all
non-traumatic limb amputations are due
to diabetes.
5) Diabetes is a major cause of erectile dysfunction.
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