Are you at Risk?
From Sioux Lookout Diabetes (http://www.slktdiab.ca/)
Risk Factors
- Hip/waist ratio of over 1.0 in men and over 0.8 in women (this can be checked by your health professional).
- Have a parent, brother or sister with diabetes
- Over 40 years of age
- You had diabetes during pregnancy
- You delivered a baby over 9 lbs.
- Overweight
- Member of an ethnic group, i.e. First Nations, Hispanic, Asian, Finnish...
- You have high blood cholesterol, heart disease or high blood pressure
- Have trouble getting and maintaining an erection
- Have increased stress
Signs and Symptoms
- Excessive thirst
- Weight change
- Frequent urination
- Blurred vision
- Change in appetite
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Itchy skin
- Tingling in hand, legs or feet
- Frequent or slow healing of cuts or infections in the body
- Sweet smelling breath
- Severe abdominal pain
- Nausea or vomiting
Diabetes is diagnosed using a blood test to determine the amount of sugar/glucose in your blood. These tests are:
· Fasting Blood Glucose Test by the laboratory before breakfast
· Casual Blood Glucose Test by the laboratory, done anytime of the day
· Oral Glucose Tolerance Test which is done by the laboratory. You will drink a special sweetened drink. A blood sample is taken before drinking and 2 hours after taking the drink
