What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease where your body causes you blood sugar to rise higher than normal. The blood sugar becomes high because your body lacks insulin or your body can’t use the insulin it makes. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose enter the cells for energy.
Diabetes can lead to serious problems such as:
Blindness
Stroke
Kidney Disease
Heart Disease
DIABETES FACTS
In Hawaii:
- Diabetes affects 155,000 keiki and adults in Hawaii. That’s 1 in 9 people!
- 21 people are diagnosed with diabetes every day in Hawaii.
- 460,000 people have pre-diabetes and are at risk for type 2 diabetes. 90% of them don’t know they have it.