Many people do not know they have diabetes, a serious medical condition, which is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

It is estimated that at least 16 million Americans have prediabetes, in addition to the 17 million people who have diabetes. Many people have not been screened for the disease and are not being treated, because they do not know they have it. When left untreated, diabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke, blindness, and a number of life-threatening complications. Dr. Romesh Khardori, professor and chief of endocrinology at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, explains Type 2 diabetes:

SOUND BITE: "Diabetes is a disorder in which a patient's blood sugars rise significantly above what is described as normal, which has just been revised to be a fasting state of less than 100 milligrams."

Khardori says a fasting glucose test can tell if an individual has prediabetes or diabetes. Early detection and treatment can decrease the chance of developing the complications of diabetes. The symptoms for diabetes are not very specific and may creep up on people. He describes some of the symptoms.

SOUND BITE: ". . . increased thirst, increased appetite, increased urination. No, they may start out with weight gain, fatigue, exhaustion, tiredness - you know those nonspecific symptoms and if somebody has a family history, they ought to be looking out for it. And even ah increased periods where the person may be dosing off or napping, such as like a sleep apnea state, ah that maybe a manifestation that the person is having an abnormal glucose and metabolism."

Khardori says treatments for diabetes include insulin or oral medications. He advises people to eat a healthy diet and engage in 25 to 30 minutes of exercise a day to help prevent and control diabetes. People who have a family history of diabetes, who are overweight, have high blood pressure or high cholesterol are at risk for diabetes. They should by seen by their physicians on a regular basis and have their glucose level checked periodically.