Rob Kardashian, the 28-year-old reality TV star
seen on “Keeping up with the Kardashians,” has been diagnosed with
diabetes after recently being rushed to the hospital for feeling ill.
This was news to him and his family, as they were unaware he was
diabetic. As seen on the show, Kardashian had gained a significant
amount of weight over the last few years and had been battling
depression.
As a result, he removed himself from the public eye and no longer appears on the show with his sisters and mother.
While this is sad news for him and his family, it is a good example of how diabetes can sneak up on you.
Many people are unaware they are even at risk for diabetes, and therefore need to be more aware.
It is likely that Kardashian had prediabetes for some time, but simply
did not know. If he had, he may have been able to reverse the condition
before being diagnosed with diabetes.
Having prediabetes means that you are on the road to developing
diabetes. With prediabetes, your blood sugar level is higher than
normal, but still below the threshold for having full-blown type 2
diabetes.
Prediabetes usually develops into diabetes within 10 years or less. By
taking action to get checked for prediabetes, you can potentially
prevent a diabetes diagnosis.
This is extremely important because diabetes brings numerous
complications and can lead to other serious health conditions such as
heart disease.
How can you tell if you have prediabetes? It can be difficult, as prediabetes often has no signs or symptoms.
Some people may develop a condition called acanthosis nigricans, where
certain areas of their skin become darker than others, such as the neck,
armpits, elbows, knees and knuckles.
Symptoms, which usually begin to show once you have developed diabetes,
include increased thirst, frequent urination, fatigue and blurred
vision.
If you think you may be at risk for diabetes, you should have a
hemoglobin A1C test, a simple blood test that measures your average
blood sugar level.
An A1C level of 6.5% or higher on two separate tests indicates that you
have diabetes. An A1C between 5.7% and 6.4% indicates prediabetes.
Below 5.7% is considered normal.
Other tests your doctor may do are a random blood sugar test, a fasting blood sugar test, or an oral glucose tolerance test.
The risk factors for diabetes are:
- Being overweight or obese
- Getting little to no physical exercise
- Having a family history of diabetes
- Age (it can develop at any age, but risk of type 2 diabetes goes up with age, especially after age 45)
- Being African-American, Hispanic, Native American or Asian-American
- Having high blood pressure
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome
- Gestational diabetes
If you have been diagnosed with prediabetes, there are ways to take
control of the condition early. This includes making healthy lifestyle
changes such as eating healthy foods, getting more physical exercise and
maintaining a healthy weight.
All of these things can help lower your blood sugar level and bring it
back to normal, warding off diabetes. See your doctor to get tested and
if diagnosed, they can help you create a plan to manage your condition.
Dr. Samadi is a board-certified urologic oncologist trained in open
and traditional and laparoscopic surgery, and an expert in robotic
prostate surgery. He is chairman of urology, chief of robotic surgery at
Lenox Hill Hospital and professor of urology at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ
School of Medicine. He is a medical correspondent for the Fox News
Channel's Medical A-Team and the chief medical correspondent for am970
in New York City, where he is heard Sundays at 10 a.m.
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