Diabetes is a metabolic condition that causes high blood sugar. With this disease, the insulin hormone is not able to do its job to move sugar from your blood into the body’s cells. It is then stored as energy. When you have diabetes either you have a lack of insulin in your body that isn’t able to use it properly. If left untreated diabetes can cause serious damage to your eyes, nerves, kidneys, and other organs.
There are a number of types of diabetes. They include:
- Type 1 is an autoimmune disease. Insulin, made in the pancreas, is attacked and becomes in short supply.
- Type 2 happens when a body can no longer develop insulin and levels of sugar build up.
- Prediabetes is when a person’s sugar level increases but is not severe enough to have the disease at this time.
- Gestational Diabetes happens when sugar builds up during pregnancy. The placenta inhibits insulin from developing and causes this rise in sugar levels.
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Diabetes Symptoms
Type 2 diabetes shares some of its symptoms with other illnesses so it is wise to check symptoms out with your doctor if you have any of these:
- Frequent urination- This happens because there is too much glucose (another form of sugar) that builds up. This causes the kidneys to flush the urine out.
- Excessive hunger- When sugar cannot be made into energy, this symptom occurs to make up for it.
- Fatigue-Often without the ability to create energy, extreme fatigue can develop.
- Blurred vision- Eyes swell when faced with an overload of glucose. This problem can be long-lasting.
Symptoms for Type 1 diabetes are very similar but also include increased thirst and nausea with vomiting as well as irritability and weight loss. Women often suffer more yeast infections with Type 1.
Diabetes Management- Diabetes Information
When someone is diagnosed with diabetes the treatment differs somewhat between Type 1 and Type 2.
With Type 1 the body is not able to produce insulin so it must be replaced daily. There are a number of ways to introduce insulin into the body. They include injections and insulin pens. For some people, pens are easier to use because they already have insulin in them and it does not need to be drawn into a needle. Two more ways are through an insulin pump and inhaled insulin.
The pump can be automated to provide calculated doses at regular times of the day but can also be regulated through its monitoring device. Inhaled insulin is usually ingested before meals but does still require regular insulin administered daily. Tandem Diabetes Care and its people are experts on insulin pumps and their uses as well as caring for the device. Please contact them for more diabetes information.
For Type 2 diabetes the regimen differs somewhat. The body may be able to produce some of its own insulin so some medications can be helpful in staving off the total loss of insulin.
Prevention
Diabetes can be an inherited disease but there are things that can be done to help prevent it or delay its onset. Things like maintaining a healthy diet, exercise, and weight loss can be helpful.
Diabetes is a serious disease and patients with it must consult experts for the best care.
