Information About Diabetes

Receiving correct information about diabetes is very important for over 20 million Americans who have been diagnosed with the disease. Approximately 7% of the population, including adults and children, have diabetic problems with another estimated 6% undiagnosed in the US. For those who have it, there are many questions that need answering so that they may live normal lives well into the senior years. What is diabetes? What causes the illness? What type do I have? What can I eat now? How do I check my blood sugar? How can I successfully manage the symptoms? The answers to these questions are all part of the comprehensive information on diabetes that must be learned by patients in order to control or beat the illness.

A diabetic is a patient whose body does not produce the correct amount of insulin or does not produce any insulin in the body. Insulin is a naturally occurring hormone that the body uses to turn sugars and starches into daily energy for an individual. The symptoms of the illness can appear subtly which may account for the large amount of people who go undiagnosed every year. Information about diabetes will include the symptomology which is fatigue, vision problems, heightened thirst and hunger, loss of weight, and frequent urination. It is suggested that if an individual exhibits at least two of these symptoms, he or she should go to the doctor to be checked. Symptoms that go unchecked can lead to serious problems such as blindness, poor circulation, loss of limbs or even death.

Scientists cannot pinpoint the exact cause of the illness in the various age groups of diabetic patients. Scientific information on diabetes does suggest, however, that the disease can be affected by heredity and environmental influences such as lack of exercise, age and weight gain. Some patients seem to be genetically predisposed to the illness through a heritage of family members. Those who have a genetic propensity for the disease should be vigilant as to any subtle symptoms that may occur. Early diagnosis is very helpful in managing the subsequent health problems as well as deterring any possible further health damage. There are also certain things that anyone can do to help diminish the chances of becoming a diabetic such as maintaining a healthy lifestyle, exercising, keeping a healthy body weight and eating right can substantially assist some people in warding off the illness during their lifetime.

There are several types of diabetes that can make its onset in either adults or children at any time. The illness presents itself in generally two types with a third type recently being discovered. Type 1 is generally diagnosed in young adults or children in which the body produces no insulin whatsoever. For many, this is a scary physical complication to deal with at such a very young age, but medical discoveries have made it easier to manage for most young people. A patient that has type 1 must arm themselves with comprehensive information about diabetes in order to protect their body from future harmful symptoms of the illness. Keeping the blood glucose level normal is critical to staving off other serious problems such as kidney damage, blindness and other life threatening conditions. Health information about diabetes suggest that the treatments for type 1 include insulin injections, the use of an insulin pump and in some severely damaged patients, an organ transplant.

Type 2 diabetes is the by far the most typical form of the illness and accounts for more of the aged diabetic patients. Laboratory information on diabetes has shown that the body does not produce adequate amounts of insulin or the insulin is not absorbed into the cells. Many times type 2 is associated with obese, older, or sedentary patients. Many people will live 2/3 of their normal lifespan without any sign of the illness and then develop its onset after gaining weight, growing older and skipping daily exercise. Many patients can control or actually cause the symptoms to disappear by losing weight, engaging in a daily exercise program and eating consistent with diabetic standards. "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls." (Proverbs 27:28)

More aggressive treatments for the disease also include daily insulin, medicine that will lower glucose levels or an organ transplant if necessary. Type 2 is highly manageable in many cases with the possibility of patients living long, healthy lives if treatment protocol is followed. An important part of managing symptoms for a diabetic patient is through consistent blood testing and adherence to the treatment methods recommended by a doctor. According to some information about diabetes, some patients do not carefully follow a treatment regimen and can fall into serious complications as a result. It is important to follow all treatment schedules and daily testing for sugar levels in order to allay harmful symptoms. Type 3 diabetes has just recently been categorized by scientists who believe that it is related to Alzheimers. Studies are continuing on this newest information on diabetes and will continue to impact treatments for diabetics.

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