What Is Diabetes

Diabetes is a medical condition, which is the result of a disorder in the metabolism and the endocrine system. Diabetes is a blood-related disease and its most typical characteristic is the high levels of blood sugar. The reason for having high levels of blood sugar is the lack of (or the resistance to) a hormone, called insulin, which is secreted by the pancreas and is responsible for the conversion of the food we eat into glucose, which is used as a fuel by the body.

When the pancreas can't produce the necessary amounts of insulin, the body can't convert the insulin to glucose to be stored by the cells and instead the sugars from the food get stored as blood sugar.

Types of Diabetes

There are three major forms of diabetes: Diabetes Mellitus (or Type 1 Diabetes), Diabetes Insipidus (Type 2 Diabetes) and gestational diabetes. About 10% of all cases are Type 1, while 90% are Type 2.

In Type 1 diabetes the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are destroyed, so the body can't produce the insulin it needs. Type 1 diabetes is also known as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile onset diabetes.

In Type 2 diabetes, which is more typical for individuals over 40, the insulin produced by the pancreas does not work properly, which is known as insulin resistance. Type 2 diabetes is also known as non-insulin dependent mellitus (NIDDM) or adult onset diabetes.

The third type of diabetes - gestational diabetes usually occurs during the second half of pregnancy and disappears after the delivery.

Symptoms of Diabetes

Diabetes has many symptoms, the most common of which include: weakness, hunger, thirst, sweet-smelling breath, increased need to urinate, very dry skin, sudden changes in vision, and sores that are slow to heal. Weight loss can also be a diabetes symptom.

Causes of Diabetes

The main causes of diabetes are that either the organism does not produce enough insulin, as is with Type 1 diabetes, or it does not use the available insulin properly, as is the case with Type 2 diabetes. Although diabetes is strongly genetically predetermined, lack of exercise, excessive weight, age, and poor diet also contribute to it.

Treatment of Diabetes

The treatment of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes is different. Type 1 diabetes can only be treated by injecting insulin into the body, while Type 2 diabetes can be managed by diet and exercise alone – i.e. without any medications. The good news is that with the right treatment diabetics can live for decades but the bad news is that diabetes is a life-long disease and you need to permanently maintain the right medication and dietary regime, otherwise you will not be able to keep your sugar levels within the norm.

Impact

Diabetes is a very wide-spread diseases (in the United States only there are more than 20 million diabetics) and is also one of the major causes of death, mostly because diabetes leads to heart disease and stroke. Besides, diabetes is a major cause of blindness and it also damages the nervous system. There are many complications of diabetes and this is what makes it such a serious disease.