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DIABETES |
Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism-the way our bodies use digested food for growth and energy. Most of the food we eat is broken down into glucose, the form of sugar in the blood. Glucose is the main source of fuel for the body.
After digestion, glucose passes into the bloodstream, where it is used by cells for growth and energy. For glucose to get into cells, insulin must be present. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, a large gland behind the stomach.
When we eat, the pancreas automatically produces the right amount of insulin to move glucose from blood into our cells. In people with diabetes, however, the pancreas either produces little or no insulin, or the cells do not respond appropriately to the insulin that is produced. Glucose builds up in the blood, overflows into the urine, and passes out of the body in the urine. Thus, the body loses its main source of fuel even though the blood contains large amounts of glucose. |
What are types of Diabetes? |
- Type 1— known as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). It is also known as juvenile diabetes and Childhood-onset diabetes. Type I diabetes is due to a deficiency or failure of the pancreas to secrete insulin. It occurs when the pancreas fails to produce adequate insulin, the hormone used by the body to make blood sugar (glucose) available to cells.
- Type 2—the most common form of diabetes (accounting for 90% of all cases). It is also known as adult-onset diabetes, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or maturity-onset diabetes. Type II diabetes runs in families. Your risk of having type II diabetes goes markedly high if you have excess weight, leads a sedentary lifestyle and have a family history of Type II diabetes. Type II diabetes is a progressive disease that can cause significant, severe complications such as heart disease, kidney disease, blindness and loss of limbs through amputation.
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If diabetes can be controlled for many years, diabetes mellitus can lead to more serious health problems:
- Blood vessel damage within the eye (retinopathy). This can lead to blindness.
- Kidney disease (nephropathy) or kidney failure.
- Nerve damage (neuropathy) especially of the hands and feet, causing tingling, numbness and weakness.
- Narrowing of the blood vessels due to fatty deposits (atherosclerosis). This increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and poor blood flow in the legs.
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Who gets Diabetes? |
Diabetes is not contagious. People cannot catch it from each other. However, certain factors can increase the risk of developing diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes occurs equally among males and females but is more common in whites than in non-whites. Data from the World Health Organization's Multinational Project for Childhood Diabetes indicate that type 1 diabetes is rare in most African, American Indian, and Asian populations. However, some northern European countries, including Finland and Sweden, have high rates of type 1 diabetes. The reasons for these differences are unknown. Type 1 diabetes develops most often in children but can occur at any age.
Type 2 diabetes is more common in older people, especially in people who are overweight, and occurs more often in African Americans, American Indians, some Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islander Americans, and Hispanics/Latinos. On average, non-Hispanic African Americans are 1.8 times as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites of the same age. Mexican Americans are 1.7 times as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites of similar age. (Data are not available for estimation of diabetes rates in other Hispanic/Latino groups.) American Indians have one of the highest rates of diabetes in the world. On average, American Indians and Alaska Natives are 2.2 times as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites of similar age. Although prevalence data for diabetes among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are limited, some groups, such as Native Hawaiians, Asians, and other Pacific Islanders residing in Hawaii (aged 20 or older) are more than twice as likely to have diabetes as white residents of Hawaii of similar age.
Diabetes prevalence in the United States is likely to increase for several reasons. First, a large segment of the population is aging. Also, Hispanics/Latinos and other minority groups at increased risk make up the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. Finally, Americans are increasingly overweight and sedentary. According to recent estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), diabetes will affect one in three people born in 2000 in the United States. The CDC also projects the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in the United States will increase 165 percent by 2050. |
Symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes |
The symptoms of Type I diabetes often come on suddenly and very severely. They include:
- being exceptionally thirsty
- dry mouth
- the need to urinate often
- weight loss (even though you may be hungry and eating well)
- feeling weak and tired
- blurry vision
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Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes |
Sometimes, people with Type II diabetes don't notice any symptoms or the symptoms are experienced gradually. They include:
- blurry vision
- cuts or sores that are slow to heal
- itchy skin, yeast infections
- increased thirst
- dry mouth
- need to urinate often
- leg pain
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What are the treatment tips? |
To manage or control diabetes you need personal plan. You and your doctor will come up with a plan, often with the help of a diabetes educator or a dietitian. They can help you choose the best foods for controlling your blood sugar.
- Changing your eating habits and increasing your daily activity to bring down blood sugar level.
- If you smoke, try to stop.
- Do exercise daily, and
- Healthy eating and exercise don’t always lower blood sugar level enough. You may need to take one or more diabetes medicines.
- Check blood sugar levels regularly
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Your doctor and dietitian also will discuss food tips to manage diabetes. These include:
- Learning which foods contains carbohydrates and how much should be included at meals and snacks. Carbohydrate intake will raise your child's blood sugar levels and the amount of carbohydrates eaten must be matched with exercise and insulin and other medications to balance blood sugar levels. For more information about carbohydrates, please review Carbohydrates and Diabetes.
- Correctly reading food labels
- Establishing correct portion size and caloric intake based on your child's age, weight and activity levels
- Timing of meals, medications and physical activity
- Tracking dietary fat, cholesterol and sodium consumption, as needed
- Providing tips to prevent and treat hypoglycemia
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| Make sure to fill your prescriptions and take your medicine as your doctor tells you to. |
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