Diabetes is one of the most common ailments in America today. Over 16 million Americans suffer from it. Each year, 650,000 more Americans learn they have diabetes.

Complications from diabetes include:

  • Eye disease and blindness
  • Skin and dental problems
  • Feet and amputations
  • Stroke
  • Gastrointestinal problems
  • Heart disease
  • Sexual concerns
  • Kidney disease
  • Neuropathy
  • Psychosocial complications

Deaths among persons with diabetes

  • Studies have found death rates to be twice as high among middle-aged people with diabetes as among middle-aged people without diabetes.

  • Based on death certificate data, diabetes contributed to 193,140 deaths in 1996.

  • Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates in 1996, according to CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. Diabetes has now been reclassified as the fourth leading cause of death to reflect its role in heart disease and high blood pressure.

  • More people die each year from diabetes then die from the combined numbers of death from AIDS, breast cancer and automobile accidents in the US.

  • Diabetes is still underreported on death certificates, both as a condition and as a cause of death.


DEFINITION
Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism - the way our body processes and uses certain foods, especially carbohydrates. The human body normally converts carbohydrates to glucose, the simple sugar that is the main source of energy for the body's cells. To enter cells, glucose needs the help of insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. The pancreas is supposed to automatically produce the right amount of insulin to allow glucose to enter body cells from the blood and be converted into energy. However, when the pancreas produces either little or no insulin or the body does not respond to the insulin produced, the body cannot process glucose. As a result, it builds up in the blood stream, overflows into the urine, and passes out of the body, effectively depriving the body of its main source of fuel.


DIFFERENT TYPES
TYPE 1 – INSULIN DEPENDENT: Type 1 diabetes is believed to be caused by a genetic predisposition and considered an autoimmune disease in which the human immune system attacks the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and destroys them. Consequently the pancreas produces little or no insulin. A person with Type 1 diabetes needs daily injections of insulin to live. Type 1 develops most often in children and young adults, but can occur at any age. Type 1 accounts for 10% of diagnosed diabetes cases in the US.


TYPE 2: is called "2" because it requires, TWO causes: congenital and acquired. TWO mechanisms: Insulin Resistance and beta cell fatigue, and the Insulin Resistance has TWO problems: - Decreased glucose uptake in TWO tissues (Muscle and fat) - Increased glucose production by the liver. Usually occurs after the age of 30 but can also occur in children and teens. About 80% of people with Type 2 are over weight.


GESTATIONAL DIABETES: starts or is first recognized during pregnancy. It usually becomes apparent during the 24th to 28th weeks of pregnancy. In many cases, the blood-glucose level returns to normal after delivery. Risk factors for gestational diabetes are maternal age over 25 years, family history of diabetes, obesity, birth weight over 9 pounds in a previous infant, unexplained death in a previous infant or newborn, congenital malformation in a previous child, and recurrent infections.


SECONDARY DIABETES MELLITUS: refers to elevated blood sugar levels that develop as the result of another medical condition. Secondary diabetes mellitus also develops when the pancreatic tissue responsible for the production of insulin is absent because it is destroyed by disease, such as chronic pancreatitis, trauma, or surgical removal of the pancreas. Diabetes can also result from other hormonal disturbances, such as excessive growth hormone production (acromegaly) and Cushing's syndrTaking charge of managing your diabetes is very important. The first step in doing that is learning all you can about what it takes to help you help yourself and that starts with your doctor and the other members of your diabetes health care team.

 

SYMPTOMS

  • Increased thirst
  • Increased urination
  • Weight loss in spite of increased appetite
  • Fatigue
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Frequent infections including bladder, vaginal, and skin
  • Blurred vision
  • Impotence in men
  • Breath odor
  • Cessation of menses
  • Poor skin turgor


Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

  • Gums, bleeding
  • Ear noise/buzzing
  • Diarrhea
  • Depression
  • Confusion
  • Tingling or numbness in the feet
  • Itching
  • Are overweight
  • Are NOT physically active
  • Were told you have high blood sugar or high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels.
  • Have a parent(s), sister or brother with diabetes
  • Are a woman who has had a baby weighing more than 9 pounds at birth
  • Are 45 years old or older
 
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