It is a chronic disease in which the body can not regulate
the amount of sugar in the blood.
Causes
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas to control
blood sugar.
Diabetes can be caused by
too little insulin production, resistance to this or both.
To understand
diabetes,
it is important to first understand the normal process by which food is broken
down and is used by the body for energy. Several things happen when food is
digested:
A sugar called glucose enters the bloodstream. Glucose is a
source of
energy for the body.
An organ called the pancreas produces insulin. The role of
insulin is to move glucose from the bloodstream into muscle, fat and liver
cells, where it can be stored or used as energy.
Food and insulin release
People with
diabetes
have high blood sugar because their body can not move sugar from the blood into
muscle and fat cells to burn it or store it as energy, and because the liver
produces too much glucose and secreted into the blood. This is because:
The pancreas does not produce enough insulin.
The cells do not respond normally to insulin manner.
Both above reasons.
There are 2 main types of diabetes. The causes and risk
factors are different for each type:
Type 1
diabetes can
occur at any age, but is most often diagnosed in children, teenagers or young
adults. In this disease, the body makes little or no insulin. This is because
the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin stop working. daily insulin
injections are needed. The exact cause is unknown.
Type 2
Diabetes: It
is much more common. It usually occurs in adulthood but due to high rates of
obesity, is now being diagnosed in children and adolescents. Some people with
this type of
diabetes do not know they
have the disease. With type 2 diabetes, the body is resistant to insulin and
does not use it as effectively as it should.
There are other causes of diabetes and some people can not
be classified as Type 1 or 2.
Gestational diabetes is high levels of blood sugar that
occurs at any time during pregnancy in a woman who does not have diabetes.
If one of your parents, brothers or sisters have diabetes,
you may be more likely to get breast cancer.
symptoms
A high level of blood sugar can cause various symptoms, such
as:
Blurry vision
excessive thirst
Fatigue
frequent urination
Hungry
Weightloss
Because type 2 diabetes develops slowly, some people with no
symptoms hyperglycemia.
Symptoms of type 1 diabetes develop in a short period of
time. People can be very sick by the time of diagnosis.
After many years, diabetes can lead to other serious problems.
These problems are known as complications of diabetes include:
Eye problems, such as difficulty seeing (especially at
night), sensitivity to light and blindness.
Ulcers and infections in the legs or feet that, left
untreated, can lead to amputation of these tips.
Damage to the nerves in the body causing pain, tingling,
loss of feeling, trouble digesting food and erectile dysfunction.
kidney problems, which can lead to kidney failure.
Weakened immune system, which can lead to more frequent
infections.
Increased likelihood of having a heart attack or stroke
(stroke).
Diabetic retinopathy
Exams and Tests
A urinalysis may show hyperglycemia. But a urine test not
only diagnosed diabetes.
Your health care provider may suspect you have diabetes if
your level of blood sugar is higher than 200 mg / dL. To confirm the diagnosis,
should be done one or more of the following tests:
Blood tests:
Fasting blood sugar: diabetes is diagnosed if the fasting
glucose level is greater than 126 mg / dL in 2 different tests. Levels between
100 and 126 mg / dL are referred to as impaired fasting glucose or prediabetes.
These levels are risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
Examination of hemoglobin A1c (A1C): Normally less than
5.7%, prediabetes is between 5.7% and 6.4% and 6.5% or diabetes is higher.
Tolerance test Oral glucose diabetes is diagnosed if glucose
level is higher than 200 mg / dL 2 hours after drinking a sugary drink (this
test is most often used for type 2 diabetes).
Screening for type 2 diabetes in people without symptoms are
recommended for:
Overweight children who have other risk factors for
diabetes, from the age of 10 years and repeated every 3 years.
Overweight adults (BMI of 25 or higher) who have other risk
factors.
Adults over 45 years; is repeated every 3 years.
Treatment
Type 2 diabetes can be counteracted with changes in
lifestyle, especially losing weight through exercise and eating healthier
foods. Some cases of type 2 diabetes can be improved with weight loss surgery.
There is no cure for type 1 diabetes.
The treatment of both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes
consists of medication, diet and exercise to control the level of blood sugar.
All people with diabetes should receive appropriate
education and support on the best ways to manage your diabetes. Ask your health
care provider about the possibility of consulting a diabetes nurse educator.
Achieve better control of blood sugar, cholesterol levels
and blood pressure helps reduce the risk of kidney disease, eye disease,
nervous system disease, heart attack and stroke.
To prevent complications of diabetes care provider visit at
least two to four times a year. Tell about the problems you are having. Follow
the instructions care provider about diabetes management.
Support groups
Many resources can help you understand more about diabetes.
If you have this disease, you can also learn ways to manage and prevent
complications.
Expectations (prognosis)
Diabetes is a disease that lasts a lifetime, for which there
is no cure.
Tight control of blood glucose can prevent or delay the
complications of diabetes. However, these problems can arise even in people
with good control of diabetes.
Complications
After many years, diabetes can cause serious health problems:
You can have eye problems, including trouble seeing
(especially at night) and sensitivity to light. It could also be blind.
Your feet and your skin can develop sores and infections.
After a long time, it may be necessary to amputate the foot or leg. The
infection can also cause pain and itching in other parts of the body.
You can complicate diabetes control their blood pressure and
cholesterol. This can lead to heart attack, stroke and other problems. Blood
flow to the legs and feet may become more difficult.
The nerves in your body can be damaged, causing pain,
tingling and numbness.
Due to nerve damage, you may have trouble digesting the food
you eat. You may feel weak or have trouble going to the bathroom. The nerve
damage can cause men have trouble getting an erection.
A high level of blood sugar and other problems can lead to
kidney damage. Your kidneys may not work as well as they used to. They may even
stop working so you would need dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Maintaining an ideal body weight and an active lifestyle can
prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes some medicines to delay or
prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes may also be used.
At present, type 1 diabetes can not be prevented. However,
there are promising research showing that Type 1 diabetes can be delayed in
some people at high risk.
