Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when your blood glucose or blood sugar is too high. Blood Glucose is the main source of energy that comes from the food you eat. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps the glucose from food get into your cells to be used for energy. Sometimes, your body doesn’t make enough or any insulin or doesn’t use insulin well. Glucose then stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells. Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause health problems. Although diabetes has no cure, you can take steps to manage your diabetes and stay healthy.

The most common types of Diabetes are as follows:

Type 1 Diabetes: referred to as Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, is a condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Such individuals require daily insulin injections. This type of diabetes generally affects children or adolescents.

Type 2 Diabetes referred to as Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, is a condition in which the insulin production may be normal or even high but the insulin produced is not as effective as normal insulin. This type of diabetes generally affects overweight or obese adults.

Gestational Diabetes: develops during pregnancy and usually disappears after giving birth. Women with Gestational Diabetes are at a higher risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes later in life.

There are several factors that cause Type 2 Diabetes. Some of these include:

Not being physically active: A sedentary lifestyle with little or no activity can lead to weight gain which can impair several functions of your body.

Being overweight or obese: This can cause insulin resistance. Extra belly fat is also linked to insulin resistance which eventually leads to Type 2 Diabetes.

Insulin resistance: A condition where the muscles, liver and fat cells do not use insulin well and the body requires more insulin to help glucose enter the cells. At first, the pancreas make more insulin but over time, the pancreas cannot make more insulin and blood glucose levels rise.

Genes and family history: People with certain genes are more likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes as they affect how your body makes insulin.

• Increased thirst and hunger
• Frequent urination
• Blurry vision
• Tingling or numbness in hands or feet
• Fatigue/feeling tired all the time
• Wounds that don't heal
• Frequent infections
• Unintended weight loss
• Yeast infections that keep coming back
• Areas of darkened skin, usually on the armpits and neck

Your doctor or health care provider will use blood tests to diagnose Type 2 Diabetes. These tests will include:

A1c: Measures the average blood sugar level over the past 2-3 months

Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG): Also known as a fasting blood sugar test, it measures your current blood sugar on an empty stomach. You can't eat or drink anything except water for at least 8 hours before the test.

Random Plasma Glucose test (RPG): Measures your current blood sugar, when you have diabetes symptoms and your health care provider doesn't want to wait for you to fast before the test.

Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT): Checks your blood glucose before and 2 hours after you drink something sweet to see how the body handles sugar.

There is no cure for Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes, but you can manage the disease by making lifestyle changes which include eating healthy and having proper meal plans, exercising regularly, losing weight, and managing stress and sleep. In addition to lifestyle changes, you also need to take your medication on time and monitor your blood glucose levels every day. Monitoring your blood glucose levels helps you make decisions about your food intake, exercise and medication.

Diabetes "cure" would suggest that all aspects of the disease are normalized and there's no need for clinical follow-ups, care or management to prevent high blood sugar but, there is no cure as such.

Diabetes Reversal is the process of returning to blood glucose levels below those used to diagnose diabetes but doesn't imply that further support is needed to prevent high blood sugar.

Diabetes Remission is defined as the return of A1c (the blood test measure of average blood sugar levels over 3 months) to less than 6.5% after at least 3 months without usual diabetes medications.

HbA1c, also called the hemoglobin A1c test, glycated hemoglobin test and glycohemoglobin, tells you the average level of blood sugar over the past 2-3 months. People who have diabetes need this test regularly to check if their blood sugar levels are within range.

A Blood Glucose test measures the amount of glucose currently in your system, whereas the HbA1c test provides information about blood sugar over 3 months.

Type 2 Diabetes affects major organs which include the heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes and kidneys. Not managing Type 2 Diabetes effectively can increase the risk of these complications and coexisting conditions (comorbidities):

Heart and blood vessel diseases: Diabetes increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and the narrowing of blood vessels (atherosclerosis).

Nerve damage: High blood sugar can damage or destroy nerves over time, resulting in tingling, numbness, burning, pain or eventual loss of feeling that usually begins at the tips of the toes or fingers and gradually spreads upward. Damage to the nerves of the heart can contribute to irregular heart rhythms. It also damages the digestive system which can cause problems such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation. For men, nerve damage may cause erectile dysfunction.

Kidney disease: It can lead to chronic kidney disease or irreversible end-stage kidney disease which may require dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Eye damage: Diabetes increases the risk of serious eye diseases such as cataract and glaucoma. It may damage some of the blood vessels of the retina, leading to blindness.

Skin conditions: Diabetes may leave you more susceptible to skin problems, including bacterial and fungal infections.

Slow healing: If left untreated, cuts and blisters can become serious infections, which may heal poorly. Severe damage might require toe, foot or leg amputation.

Hearing impairment: Hearing problems are more common in people with diabetes.

Dementia: Type 2 Diabetes may increase the risk of Alzheimer's and other disorders that cause dementia. Poor control of blood sugar levels is linked to a rapid decline in memory and other cognitive skills.

People with Type 2 Diabetes should take a reading at least once a day. Some people might even have to do a test as frequently as seven times a day. The frequency of tests depends on several factors which include the status of your health, diagnosis, whether you're taking insulin and leading an active lifestyle among others. Ideally, it's best to speak with your health care provider to fix a proper monitoring schedule for you.

People with diabetes should take an HbA1c test every 3 months to ensure their blood sugar is within the target range. If diabetes is under good control, one can wait longer. Experts recommend doing the HbA1c test at least twice a year (once every 6 months).