Diabetes
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus is a long-term disease that is caused by too much glucose in the blood. This happens because there is not enough of the hormone insulin.Non-insulin dependent diabetes
This happens when the body does not make enough insulin or cannot use insulin properly. This type of diabetes is usually linked with obesity (someone who is very overweight). It used to be referred to as maturity-onset diabetes because it occurs mostly in people over the age of 40. Diabetes affects hundreds of millions of people all around the world. Infact a million other people who have the disease do not know it yet. Nine out of ten people with diabetes have type II diabetes and over 80% of these people are overweight. If a person with diabetes does not get treatment, it can lead to long-term health problems because the high glucose levels in the blood damage the blood vessels. Diabetes is caused when the pancreas (a gland behind the stomach) does not produce any or enough of the hormone insulin. It may also happen if the body cannot use insulin properly. Insulin is very important because it is the only hormone in the body that can lower glucose levels. Without it, the glucose levels would build up in the blood stream after eating and spill out into the urine. Thereby decreasing one of the main driving forces of our body, Glucose.Insulin-dependent diabetes
This happens when the body produces little or no insulin. People who have this type of diabetes need treatment for the rest of their lives. They must check the levels of glucose in their blood regularly and watch out for complications. This is sometimes called juvenile-onset diabetes because it usually develops before the age of 40, often in the teenage years.Diabetes Symptoms
Diabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem so harmless. Recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chance of developing the complications of diabetes.Type 1 Diabetes
- Unusual weight loss
- Extreme hunger
- Frequent urination
- Unusual thirst
- Extreme fatigue and Irritability
- Any of the type 1 symptoms
- Blurred vision
- Tingling/numbness in the hands/feet
- Frequent infections
- Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
- Recurring skin, gum, or bladder infections
