Most of us already know that having diabetes means you have too much sugar in your blood. But many don’t know why this only happens to some people, or why it can cause so much harm.

Our bodies survive on air, water and glucose, a form of sugar. We get most of our energy from the glucose present in the foods we eat. When we eat regularly, that is what gets us through our day. And, the glucose we don’t burn up right away is stored in our liver for use later, for times when we’re not able to eat or when we need more energy. It’s sort of like making a daily deposit in a bank.

The pancreas is an important part of this process because it makes a hormone called insulin.

Insulin is what helps transfer glucose from our blood stream into our body’s cells where it can be burned as energy. Without enough insulin, glucose will just keep circulating through our body, building up to higher and higher levels. This condition is referred to as hyperglycemia. Most people with diabetes either do not produce enough insulin in their pancreas to control their blood sugar adequately or they have simply become so overweight that they’ve “outgrown” their pancreas’s ability to produce enough insulin for their body to function properly.

When the liver and pancreas are unable to maintain a proper balance of glucose in the blood stream, our energy level diminishes and our blood glucose level goes up eventually causing damage to the cells in specific tissues. This is how diabetes can contribute to a loss of vision, a decrease of sensation in the feet, legs and hands, urinary dysfunction, erectile dysfunction and an increased risk of high blood pressure, blot clot, heart attack and stroke.

Because diabetes can have such a devastating impact on the human body, people who know they have high blood glucose levels, a family history of diabetes or are more than 20 pounds overweight should see their primary health care provider on at least an annual basis to be screened for this disease. Screening measures should include height, weight, blood pressure, vision testing and blood tests for hemoglobin A1C and cholesterol.

The good news is that there are a number of new medications and therapies available today for the treatment of diabetes and not all of them include having to inject oneself daily with insulin. Early detection combined with accurate monitoring, aggressive therapy and good old fashioned diet, exercise and nutrition can often enable patients to manage their diabetes effectively while pursuing a full and active lifestyle.

• Ken Wiscomb is a physician’s assistant at North Bend Medical Clinic.