COVID-19: Click here for resources to help you and your family make informed decisions regarding your care.
What is it?
Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose (sugar) levels are too high. It is a long-lasting health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. The body has trouble creating insulin to break down the glucose consumed. Glucose comes from the foods that are consumed, which is a sugar necessary for the normal functioning of cells. On the other hand, insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas and allows glucose to enter the cells to supply them with energy and carry out their normal functions.
Symptoms
The symptoms associated with diabetes are:
• Excessive thirst and urination
• Exaggerated increase in appetite
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Tingling in the hands and feet
• Difficult-to-heal lesions
• Weight loss without apparent cause
For more information: https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/diabetes.html
What is it?
The heart pumps blood through a network of arteries, veins, and capillaries. The moving blood pushes against the walls of the arteries and this force is measured as blood pressure. The blood pressure measurement, which is given in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), consists of two numbers. The first, or largest, measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats (systolic pressure). The second, or smaller, measures the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats (diastolic pressure).
• Normal blood pressure. You have normal blood pressure if the number is below 120/80 mm Hg.
• High blood pressure. Elevated blood pressure is a systolic pressure between 120 and 129 mm Hg and a diastolic pressure below 80 mm Hg. High blood pressure tends to get worse over time unless steps are taken to control it.
Stage 1 hypertension. Stage 1 hypertension is a systolic pressure between 130 and 139 mm Hg or a diastolic pressure between 80 and 89 mm Hg.
Stage 2 hypertension. Stage 2 hypertension, more severe hypertension, is a systolic pressure of 140 mm Hg or higher, or a diastolic pressure of 90 mm Hg or higher.
Symptoms
Most people with high blood pressure have no symptoms. In some cases, palpitations in the head or chest, dizziness, and other physical symptoms may be felt. When there are no warning symptoms, the disease can go unnoticed for many years.
For more information: https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/facts.htm
What is it?
It occurs when the flow of oxygen-rich blood to a part of the heart muscle is suddenly blocked and the heart cannot get oxygen. If blood flow isn’t restored quickly, that part of the heart muscle begins to die. Heart attacks almost always occur as a result of coronary artery disease. In this disease, a fatty material called plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries, which are the arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart.
Symptoms
Heart attack symptoms often occur quickly and include: Crushing chest pain or discomfort that can be mild or severe and often lasts more than a few minutes, discomfort in one or both arms, back, neck, jaw, upper stomach, shortness of breath, nausea (feeling sick), vomiting, sudden dizziness, and cold sweat.
For more information: https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/heart_attack.htm
What is it?
It happens when blood flow to the brain is blocked. Unable to receive the oxygen and nutrients they need, brain cells begin to die within minutes. This can cause severe damage to the brain and permanent or severe long-term disability. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. There are two types of strokes: Ischemic stroke is caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel in the brain. It is the most common type; 80 percent of strokes are ischemic. Hemorrhagic stroke is caused by a blood vessel rupturing and bleeding in the brain.
Symptoms
Symptoms of stroke often occur rapidly. They include:
• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg (especially on one side of the body)
• Sudden confusion
• One side of the face drooping
• Difficulty speaking or understanding speech
• Sudden trouble seeing out of one or both eyes,
• Sudden difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause.
For more information: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/stroke
What is it?
Clinical depression is a serious and common illness that affects us physically and mentally in the way we feel and think. Depression can make us want to withdraw from family, friends, work, and school. It can also cause anxiety, loss of sleep, loss of appetite, and lack of interest or pleasure in different activities. This is different from mood fluctuations and can lead to suicide.
Symptoms
Symptoms can cause noticeable problems in relationships with others or in everyday activities, such as work, school or social activities. Signs and symptoms of clinical depression may include the following:
• Feelings of sadness, angry outbursts
• Irritability or frustration
• Loss of interest or pleasure in most usual activities
• Sleep disturbances, such as insomnia or oversleeping
• Tiredness and lack of energy
• Lack of appetite and weight loss
• More food cravings and weight gain
• Nervousness or restlessness
• Slowness in reasoning, speech and body movements
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
• Fixation on past failures or self-reproach
• Problems thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
• Frequent or recurrent thoughts about death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide
• Unexplained physical problems such as back pain or headaches
For more information: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression
What is it?
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or fear about a situation, which helps people stay alert to cope with problems. However, anxiety can be disabling if it interferes with your daily life, such as being afraid of everyday activities like traveling on a bus or talking to a colleague. Anxiety can also present as a sudden attack of terror when making important decisions.
Symptoms
Anxiety disorders have a combination of anxious thoughts or beliefs, physical symptoms, and changes in behavior such as avoiding everyday activities you used to do. Each anxiety disorder has different symptoms. They all involve fear and dread of things that could happen now or in the future. Some of the physical symptoms are weakness, shortness of breath, rapid heart rate, nausea, upset stomach, hot flashes, and dizziness. The physical symptoms of anxiety disorders are usually accompanied by other mental or physical illnesses.
For more information: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders
