A young woman waiting in line at the grocery store starts to do the "potty dance."

She has to go to the bathroom for the third time in the past hour. She's thirsty, hungry, tired and irritable.

A middle-aged driver notices he must squint more than usual to read the road signs passing by.

A pregnant woman continues to lose weight when she should be gaining a pound per week. A woman in her 60s is constantly tired and her thirst is unquenchable.

Each of these people shares symptoms of diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease in which the body doesn't produce or properly use insulin - a hormone that converts sugar, starches and other food into energy.

The cause of diabetes is an unsolved mystery, although doctors have identified both genetic and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise as contributing factors.

More than 23 million children and adults in the U.S. - that's 7.8 percent of the population - have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. While an estimated 17.9 million already have been diagnosed, 5.7 million people are unaware they have the disease.

"Diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions," said Susan Sorensen, a registered nurse and community diabetes educator.

"The number of people who have diabetes has doubled in the last 10 years. It's just amazing."

Diabetes can lead to serious complications, such as blindness, kidney damage, cardiovascular disease and lower-limb amputations.

However, people with the disease can lower the occurrence of such problems by controlling blood glucose, blood pressure and blood lipid levels.



Understanding the

different types of diabetes

Type-1 diabetes usually is diagnosed in children and young adults and sometimes is called "juvenile diabetes." In Type-1 diabetes, the body doesn't produce insulin so insulin injections often are required four, five, sometimes six times a day.

Type-2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. In Type-2 diabetes, the body either doesn't produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Injections may or may not be required as the disease progresses.

Insulin is necessary for the body to use glucose for energy. When a person eats, the body breaks down all the sugars and starches into glucose - the basic fuel for the cells in the human body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. If glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, as it does for people with diabetes, cells are starved for energy. Eye, kidney, nerve and heart damage may result.

"Somebody who has diabetes is at the same risk of having a heart attack as somebody who's already had a heart attack," Sorensen said. "Heart problems don't cause diabetes, but diabetes does cause heart problems."

Another type of diabetes, gestational diabetes, affects 4 percent of all pregnant woman. Untreated, gestational diabetes can harm the fetus. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after pregnancy but many women who have gestational diabetes go on to develop Type-2 diabetes years later.

Diabetes affects all age ranges and ethnicities. A "Diabetes Risk Test" is available online through the American Diabetes Association to help people determine if they are at risk for pre-diabetes or diabetes.

To take the test, go online to www.diabetes.org, click on "All About Diabetes" on the left-hand side of the page and then click on the subcategory "Diabetes Risk Test."



Obesity: A major contributing factor to diabetes

Increasing numbers of diabetes cases are directly related to obesity rates, according to the American Diabetes Association. In fact, Type-2 diabetes is closely tied to being overweight.

"If you lose just 5-10 percent of your body weight, you may be making enough insulin to keep your blood glucose in an appropriate range," Sorensen said.

"The new year is a great time to reassess what you are doing and what you can do to be healthier," she said, encouraging a balanced diet and at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day. "You don't have to sweat bullets but you do need to use enough exertion that you can still talk but you can't catch your breath enough to sing. That's a good rule of thumb."



Living with pre-diabetes

Pre-diabetes is defined as having blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be considered as diabetes. A normal fasting blood glucose level should be between 70 to 100 milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood. Pre-diabetes is indicated with levels of 100 to 125 and diabetes is diagnosed with a glucose level over 126.

About 57 million people in the U.S. have pre-diabetes. Research shows that some long-term damage - especially to the heart and circulatory system - may occur during pre-diabetes but that people can take action to manage their blood glucose and delay or prevent Type-2 diabetes from developing.

People with pre-diabetes are encouraged to take much of the same advice given to those diagnosed with diabetes: Practice good nutrition and physical activity.

For more information about pre-diabetes and diabetes or to be tested for the metabolism disorder, schedule an appointment with a physician.



Living with diabetes

Susan Sorensen will lead a "Living Healthy with Diabetes" class from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Sequim Senior Activity Center. Topics will include the physiology of diabetes, selection of nutritious food, food label reading, blood glucose monitoring and how to deter diabetes complications. The class costs $30. Advance registration is required. For details, call the senior center office at 683-6806.