Diabetes is a serious disease because of its harmful effects and because half the people who have it don't even know it. According to the American Diabetes Association, 16 million Americans have the disease. It can lead to blindness heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and amputations. In the extreme, it can even result in death. Every year nearly 170,000 Americans die from diabetes.

Diabetes sufferers are either insensitive to the insulin in the body or are not able to produce sufficient insulin. Usually, the food we eat is broken down into glucose. Insulin helps turn the glucose into energy. When one is insensitive or doesn't produce enough insulin, the glucose can't get into the cells where it begins to build up in the bloodstream. If not treated, over time, the diabetes can cause damage to the heart, kidneys, eyes, nerves and blood vessels.

The good news is that diabetes, while not curable, can be treated. With early diagnosis, many of its complications can be avoided. That's why it's so important to recognize signs of diabetes. There are three types of diabetes- Type I usually affects children and young adults. Type 2 ordinarily affects adults over 45 and Gestational diabetes develops in women during pregnancy.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common. About 95 percent of people who suffer from diabetes have this form of the disease. Although you may have no diabetes signs at all, if you or your children have any of the signs of diabetes, you should consult your doctor.

Vision changes, frequent urination, a constant feeling of thirst, fatigue or extreme weight loss are all signs of diabetes. While the disease can manifest in any person, Hispanics, African Americans and American Indians are more prone to develop it. There are also many risk factors for the condition, including having a child over 9 pounds, being over 45 years old, having a parent with the disease, or weighing 20% more than you should for your height and sex. Lack of exercise is another large risk factor for diabetes.

Restlessness, apathy and problems functioning at school are signs of juvenile diabetes. There are some severe cases, however, where a diabetic coma may be the first ever sign of the disease. There are a variety of juvenile diabetes symptoms, including; weight loss (at times dramatic), unusual thirst for sweet or cold drinks, hunger beyond normal hunger, weakness, feeling of tiredness, vision changes irritability, extremely frequent urination (which can manifest as recurrent bed wetting for younger children) and stomach upset.