Diabetes is a disease that many people may associate with strict diets and insulin shots, but in reality it is a condition that significantly affects your heart and other organs in your body. Fortunately, once diabetes is detected, it can be treated and controlled. Although there is no cure, negative affects of diabetes to your health can be minimized with proper care.

Unfortunately, many people who have diabetes are not even aware they have the disease, which can be detected by a simple blood test. If you’ve never been tested for diabetes, or if you have a family member who has diabetes, it is important that you ask your doctor to include this test in your next physical examination.

There are symptoms that may indicate you have diabetes. They include:

• Increased thirst
• Increased urination 
• Increased appetite with weight loss 
• Fatigue
  

If you experience these symptoms, you need to call your doctor immediately to be tested for diabetes. You may be asked to fast for a period of time before the test to be certain of the most accurate results, but the test itself requires only a sample of your blood. Also, some health fairs and municipal health departments offer free diabetes screenings periodically.

So, don’t ignore symptoms or a positive family history of diabetes. Even if you don’t have any symptoms or a family history of diabetes, it’s wise to begin including a diabetes test in your regular physical examination around the age of 40 when adult-onset diabetes often develops.