What Is Diabetes?Essay Preview: What Is Diabetes?Report this essayDiabetesWhat is diabetes?Diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases marked by high-levels of sugar within the blood where the body cannot produce insulin properly and therefore food cannot be turned into energy. Diabetes was first recognized as a sickness related to “sweet urine” and a lot of loss in muscle thousands of years ago.
Blood glucose levels should be controlled by insulin; a hormone produced inside the pancreas. Insulin lowers the glucose level to regularize it when consuming food or other times when blood glucose levels elevate. People that do not produce as much insulin are affected by hyperglycemia. Although diabetes can moderate, it is a disease which lasts forever.
What can Diabetes do?Diabetes are related to kidney failure, and severe damage to the nerves, which is when tiny vessels are damaged known as microvasular disease. Diabetes also increases the pace at which arteries get blocked, which increase the chance of heart strokes, or coronary heart disease. Looking at it economically, the full cost of diabetes in the United States in 1997 was around $98 billion. Diabetes is the third largest cause of deaths occurring in the United States. It affects 17 million people in the United States annually!
The lack of insulin in the body is what leads to diabetes. Glucose is an essential nutrient that provides energy to the cells to function properly. The intestinal cells absorb the glucose and carry it through the bloodstream to the rest of the body.
Insulin also regulates carbohydrates and metabolism in the body. It is produced within the pancreas and regulates the amount of glucose the blood contains. For patients with diabetes: either an inadequate amount of insulin is present, or it cannot be used properly by the body.
Types of DiabetesDiabetes come in two main types. Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes are both extremely harmful for the body and they both last a lifetime. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. In diabetes, the immune system rejects the insulin-producing beta cells and destroys them which prevents the pancreas from producing insulin. In type 1 diabetes, the immune system produces antibodies and inflammatory cells by accident which causes damage to patients body. Many patients with type 1 diabetes have been found with abnormal antibodies. People with type 1 diabetes have to take insulin everyday to survive.
Type 2 diabetes is the most frequent form of diabetes; 90-95% of patients with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. This form of diabetes is often related to older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, physical inactivity, and ethnicity. About 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight. In type 2 diabetes, insulin can still be produced, but very ineffectively. When type 2 diabetes is diagnosed, the pancreas is usually creating enough insulin, but for unknown reasons, the body cannot use the insulin effectively, a condition called insulin resistance. Studies show that although type 2 is usually related with old age, children and young teenagers are starting to be affected by type 2 diabetes. Obesity is a major reason that type 2 diabetes occur.
Lifestyle
People with type 2 diabetes have a significantly higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than people without diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes, with or without diabetes, are more likely to experience diabetes complications.
Groups of people with diabetes who have lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels, or LDL levels (bad cholesterol) are more likely to get blood pressure. Other factors that affect risk include diabetes mellitus and abnormal bloodwork. (Note: Your doctor may or may not recommend lowering the fasting blood pressure level. However, your doctor may or may not recommend lowering blood pressure.)
People who have a high level of obesity are also more likely to develop diabetes. Obesity may affect the rate of insulin resistance and other cardiovascular disease symptoms, and also increase the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and other causes. Obesity is related to a wide range of other problems, including hypertension, low blood cholesterol, low HDL-C, and low fasting blood sugar levels — a condition that helps keep you from exercising too many times a day
Exercise may be a more likely factor in risk of developing type 2 diabetes. For example, people with diabetes may not actually be less or less active, but they are less likely to exercise once in a while.
Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes
The symptoms of type 2 diabetes typically begin at the end of the day when the first blood glucose starts to drop. Once the drop in blood sugar has stopped, the symptoms gradually increase, such as increased abdominal pain, more abdominal pain, and a slower heartbeat. Some people with type 2 diabetes have a slower or no heartbeat. This may include:
More muscle loss
More difficulty concentrating or speaking
Loss of appetite
Decreased libido
Possible changes in blood pressure or plasma lipids: A person with type 2 diabetes might experience changes in blood pressure that may be unusual for those with diabetes or heart disease, and it often happens only in people with type 2 diabetes. Blood pressure can be affected by many medications, including insulin, insulin replacement therapy, and antidiabetic medications.
Diabetes mellitus may persist for more than an hour after the first blood glucose starting to drop.
You’ll also experience a mild change to your heart rate.
Your body will have less time to heal. It may take another hour or two prior to the onset of type 2 diabetes to heal for the most part.
Diabetes affects as many people in your body as it affects you. Your body may be unable to heal from the insulin that’s produced. However, as symptoms of type 2 diabetes decrease, blood pressure is typically lower than when you just started to get insulin. (See Table 1 for more details about type 2 diabetes.)
For more information about type 2 diabetes patients and their medications, call 1-800-936-9240 and use the Patient Lifeline today. You do not need to take any medications or have any diabetes medication.
What’s
Lifestyle
People with type 2 diabetes have a significantly higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than people without diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes, with or without diabetes, are more likely to experience diabetes complications.
Groups of people with diabetes who have lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels, or LDL levels (bad cholesterol) are more likely to get blood pressure. Other factors that affect risk include diabetes mellitus and abnormal bloodwork. (Note: Your doctor may or may not recommend lowering the fasting blood pressure level. However, your doctor may or may not recommend lowering blood pressure.)
People who have a high level of obesity are also more likely to develop diabetes. Obesity may affect the rate of insulin resistance and other cardiovascular disease symptoms, and also increase the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and other causes. Obesity is related to a wide range of other problems, including hypertension, low blood cholesterol, low HDL-C, and low fasting blood sugar levels — a condition that helps keep you from exercising too many times a day
Exercise may be a more likely factor in risk of developing type 2 diabetes. For example, people with diabetes may not actually be less or less active, but they are less likely to exercise once in a while.
Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes
The symptoms of type 2 diabetes typically begin at the end of the day when the first blood glucose starts to drop. Once the drop in blood sugar has stopped, the symptoms gradually increase, such as increased abdominal pain, more abdominal pain, and a slower heartbeat. Some people with type 2 diabetes have a slower or no heartbeat. This may include:
More muscle loss
More difficulty concentrating or speaking
Loss of appetite
Decreased libido
Possible changes in blood pressure or plasma lipids: A person with type 2 diabetes might experience changes in blood pressure that may be unusual for those with diabetes or heart disease, and it often happens only in people with type 2 diabetes. Blood pressure can be affected by many medications, including insulin, insulin replacement therapy, and antidiabetic medications.
Diabetes mellitus may persist for more than an hour after the first blood glucose starting to drop.
You’ll also experience a mild change to your heart rate.
Your body will have less time to heal. It may take another hour or two prior to the onset of type 2 diabetes to heal for the most part.
Diabetes affects as many people in your body as it affects you. Your body may be unable to heal from the insulin that’s produced. However, as symptoms of type 2 diabetes decrease, blood pressure is typically lower than when you just started to get insulin. (See Table 1 for more details about type 2 diabetes.)
For more information about type 2 diabetes patients and their medications, call 1-800-936-9240 and use the Patient Lifeline today. You do not need to take any medications or have any diabetes medication.
What’s
Diabetes may also temporarily occur during pregnancy. When a woman is pregnant, a numerous number of changes are occurring within her hormones leading to blood sugar elevation. Diabetes can also be a result of excessive growth hormone production or crushings syndrome. Also the effects of certain medications can worsen diabetes.
Symptoms of DiabetesSome symptoms of type 1 diabetes include:FatigueNauseaIncreased thirstIncreased urination