A Strict Schedule For Diabetes By Rosy Parker, Mon Dec 26th The goal of every diabetic is to live a long and livable life.It is more important for the parents of small children withdiabetes. As long as they manage their blood sugar, they canenjoy their Read more...
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Diabetes - The Silent Killer By Trevor Dace There are two main types of the disease – Type 1 and Type 2, and they are totally different in root cause. There also exists a type of the disease called gestational diabetes that only affects pregnant women.
To understand the disease, we must first understand the part that insulin plays in our body. When we eat or drink glucose, fructose or carbohydrates, our system converts them into glucose within the blood stream. In order to utilise the glucose for energy, our pancreas produces insulin which 'unlocks' receptors in our cells and allows the glucose to enter the cells and be converted into energy.
In Type 1 diabetes the body is incapable of producing sufficient insulin to regulate blood sugar adequately. It is frequently called juvenile diabetes or insulin dependent diabetes, and it is usually found in people under the age of 30.
The condition comes on quite suddenly and is recognised by excessive thirst caused by a surplus of glucose in the blood stream. This consequently results in frequent urination, another symptom. It is a chronic condition – in other words, it is a lifelong condition. It is thought to be an auto-immune problem in the pancreas that destroys the insulin producing cells.
Those suffering from Type 1 diabetes make up between 5-10% of diabetes sufferers and it is treated by introducing insulin either by injection or by a drip feed. There is a danger for type 1 diabetics that they may suddenly lose consciousness and they are also at risk for serious complications.
There is new technology that has emerged in recent years where an islet cell transplant is undertaken, and although the patient has to take drugs to stop the body rejecting the cells, the new cells are capable of producing insulin and patients involved in the trial have reported greatly reduced levels of insulin injection. The hope is that the injections may eventually be completely eliminated through the use of islet cell transplants.
Type 1 diabetics are prone over time to suffer from vascular disorders, micro-sight problems, micro-sight problems and kidney problems due mainly to deterioration in their blood vessels.
Type 2 diabetes applies to the vast majority of diabetes cases. Patients with type 2 diabetes can manufacture insulin, but their cell receptors have become resistant to insulin. Their body must therefore produce greater amounts of insulin to be able to 'unlock' the cells so that they can extract the glucose from the blood stream. Eventually, these sufferers get to the point where they cannot create enough insulin to lessen the sugar levels in their body.
The disease affects 15-20% of those over the age of 60. A substantial number of adults remain undiagnosed as diabetes sufferers. It is usually recognised during a physical check-up following complaints of problems such as skin, chest or urinary infections.
Type 2 diabetes can be managed through weight reduction and diet control or with prescription medicines.
Although there is a definite genetic link to the disease in 80% of cases, it is kick started by being obese, not taking sufficient exercise and pursuing a diet high in high glycaemic index carbohydrates (sugar, white rice, white bread and fruit).Weight management, exercise and a diet low in fructose, sugars and processed carbohydrates are acknowledged to be important as avoidance techniques.
Many members of the medical profession are expressing alarm at the recent trend of type 2 diabetes cases occurring in children. This is thought to be due to the high incidence of childhood obesity, combined with the lack of exercise that overweight children take and the diet they follow that is high in sugar and carbohydrates with a high glycaemic index.
About 4% of pregnant women are diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Most of them recover from this form of diabetes after giving birth, but it does appear to indicate an increased risk of contracting type 2 diabetes later in their lives.
The most well known symptom of diabetes is constant thirst and frequent urination. Other symptoms include constant fatigue, unexplained weight loss, dizziness, itching and leg pains walking.
If diabetes only meant taking insulin for the rest of your life, it wouldn't be such a worrying problem. Sadly, people suffering from diabetes have a number of increased risks including:
- twice the rate of heart disease compared to non-sufferers
- five times more likely to have a stroke
- the most frequent cause of limb amputations discounting accidents
- blindness; of the new cases of blindness in people from age 24 to 74, diabetes is the leading cause
- the major cause of end-stage renal disease and over 33% of new kidney diseases.
Consistent and accurate management of blood sugar levels lowers the chances of any of the above occurring.
This article on the causes and treatment of diabetes was written by Terry Cod, a travel writer who himself suffers from the illness. He is the owner of www.twistedorange.co.uk/ which has sections on Weight loss.
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