Diabetes often referred to by doctors asdiabetes mellitus, describes a group of metabolic diseases in which the person has high blood glucose (bloodsugar), either because insulin production is inadequate, or because the body's cells do not respond properly to insulin, or both. Patients withhigh blood sugarwill typically experience polyuria (frequent urination), they will become increasingly thirsty (polydipsia) and hungry (polyphagia).
There are three types of diabetes:
1) Type 1 Diabetes
The body does not produce insulin. Some people may refer to this type asinsulin-dependent diabetes,juvenile diabetes, orearly-onset diabetes. People usually develop type 1 diabetes before their 40th year, often in early adulthood or teenage years.
Type 1 diabetes is nowhere near as common as type 2 diabetes. Approximately 10% of all diabetes cases are type 1.
Patients with type 1 diabetes will need to take insulininjectionsfor the rest of their life. They must also ensure proper blood-glucose levelsby carrying out regular blood tests and following a special diet.
Between 2001 and 2009, the prevalence of type 1 diabetes among the under 20s in the USA rose 23%, according toSEARCH for Diabetes in Youthdata issued by the CDC (Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention).
2) Type 2 Diabetes
The body does not produce enough insulin for proper function, or the cells in the body do not react to insulin (insulin resistance).
Approximately 90% of all cases of diabetes worldwide are of this type.
Some people may be able tocontroltheir type 2 diabetessymptomsbylosing weight, following a healthy diet, doing plenty of exercise, and monitoring theirblood glucose levels. However, type 2 diabetes is typically a progressive disease - it gradually gets worse - and the patient will probably end up have to take insulin, usually in tablet form.
3) Gestational Diabetes
This type affects females during pregnancy. Some women have very high levels of glucose in their blood, and their bodies are unable to produce enough insulin to transport all of the glucose into their cells, resulting in progressively rising levels of glucose.
Diagnosis of gestational diabetes is made during pregnancy.
The majority of gestational diabetes patients can control their diabetes with exercise and diet. Between 10% to 20% of them will need to take some kind of blood-glucose-controlling medications. Undiagnosed or uncontrolled gestational diabetes can raise the risk of complications during childbirth. The baby may be bigger than he/she should be.
Scientists from the National Institutes of Health and Harvard University found that women whose diets before becoming pregnant were high in animal fat and cholesterol had a higher risk for gestational diabetes, compared to their counterparts whose diets were low in cholesterol and animal fats. cut cost
Diabetes is the fastest-growing chronic disease in the U.S., but experts says there is a relatively simple and inexpensive way to reduce the soaring cost of treating it: Get patients to take better care of their feet.
Almost 26 million Americans—just over 8% of the population—are identified as having diabetes, and roughly two million people are newly diagnosed each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than half of those patients are at risk for developing diabetic neuropathy, or nerve damage, which can cause a loss of feeling in legs and feet and in severe cases lead to lower-extremity amputations.
Foot problems take a big toll: As a common cause of hospitalizations among diabetic patients, they help drive up diabetes-related costs, which totaled $245 billion in 2012, according to the American Diabetes Association, up 41% from 2007.
The good news, doctors say, is that daily inspection and cleansing of the feet—which isn't complicated or expensive—can go a long way toward preventing foot ulcers, which can lead to amputations. The CDC estimates that good foot care could reduce the risk of amputation in diabetic patients by 45% to 85%.
Because blood flow is reduced in those with diabetes, feet lack feeling and the chances of stepping on sharp or other damaging objects without knowing it are increased. Blisters, bunions, calluses and abrasions may go unnoticed, and a minor foot blister can easily become gangrenous, which is why diabetic patients must check their feet and toes daily. It's also important for patients to wash their feet in mild to tepid water, dry them thoroughly and apply lotion to protect against fissures in the skin, which can become a breeding ground for infection, according to the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.
Other simple changes to protect feet include never wearing shoes without socks and never walking in bare feet. Shoes that give the foot room to breathe, such as tennis-type shoes or special shoes that distribute pressure evenly on the feet and don't squeeze the toes, help keep feet healthy. Regular visits to a doctor for foot exams and to a podiatrist to have nails trimmed without damaging the feet can reduce costs per patient by up to $20,000 annually, says Alex Kor, a podiatrist at Johns Hopkins and an expert in diabetic foot care.
"Most of the cost associated with diabetes is due to complications," says Robert Gabbay,chief medical officer and senior vice president at Joslin Diabetes Center, "but more than any other chronic disease, if patients make changes in their lifestyle, long-term complications can be prevented
Overweight and obese
people have a much higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those with a healthy body weight. People with a lot of visceral fat, also known as central obesity, belly fat, or abdominal obesity, are especially at risk. Being overweight/obese causes the body to release chemicals that can destabilize the body's cardiovascular and metabolic systems.
Being overweight, physically inactive and eating the wrong foods all contribute to our risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Drinking just one can of (non-diet) soda per day can raise our risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 22%, researchers from Imperial College London reported in the journal Diabetologia. The scientists believe that the impact of sugary soft drinks on diabetes risk may be a direct one, rather than simply an influence on body weight.
The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is also greater as we get older. Experts are not completely sure why, but say that as we age we tend to put on weight and become less physically active. Those with a close relative who had/had type 2 diabetes, people of Middle Eastern, African, or South Asian descent also have a higher risk of developing the disease.
Men whose testosterone levels are low have been found to have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, say that low testosterone levels are linked to insulin resistance.