Sign & Symptoms of Diabetes

January 16, 2016

Sign & Symptoms of Diabetes

Sign & Symptoms of Diabetes

Diabetes is often called the silent killer because of its easy-to-miss symptoms. Individuals can experience different signs and symptoms of diabetes, and sometimes there may be no signs. Many of the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes are the same as type 2 diabetes even though the reasons the person develops the diabetes are different. This is due to the ultimate effect of having extra glucose or sugar in the blood stream. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can be diagnosed in all age groups.

Type 1 diabetes is usually detected in children and young adults and type 2 diabetes usually is diagnosed at an older age. Some of the signs and symptoms commonly experienced include:

• Frequent urination
• Excessive thirst
• Increased hunger
• Weight loss
• Tiredness
• Lack of interest and concentration
• A tingling sensation or numbness in the hands or feet
• Blurred vision
• Frequent infections
• Slow-healing wound
• Sexual dysfunction
• Vomiting and stomach pain (often mistaken as the flu)

The development of type 1 diabetes is usually sudden and dramatic while the symptoms can often be mild or absent in people with type 2 diabetes, making this type of diabetes hard to detect.

Women with gestational diabetes often have no symptoms, which is why it’s important for at-risk women to be tested at the proper time during pregnancy.

Early detection and treatment of diabetes can decrease the risk of developing the complications of diabetes. Do not delay in calling your physician if you think you may have diabetes. The only way to be sure is to be tested. Talk to your health care team and get further guidance about this very important issue.

Read More

What Causes Diabetes?

January 16, 2016

What Causes Diabetes?

What Causes Diabetes?

Diabetes causes vary depending on your genetic makeup, family history, ethnicity, health and environmental factors. The causes of diabetes vary depending on the individual and the type. For instance; the causes of type 1 diabetes vary considerably from the causes of gestational diabetes. Similarly, the causes of type 2 diabetes are distinct from the causes of type 1 diabetes.

What Causes Type 1 Diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes is caused by a lack of insulin due to the destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. In type 1 diabetes—an autoimmune disease—the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells. Normally, the immune system protects the body from infection by identifying and destroying bacteria, viruses, and other potentially harmful foreign substances. But in autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks the body’s own cells. In type 1 diabetes, beta cell destruction may take place over several years, but symptoms of the disease usually develop over a short period of time.
There is no specific diabetes causes, but the following triggers may be involved:

• Viral or bacterial infection
• Chemical toxins within food
• Unidentified component causing autoimmune reaction

Underlying genetic disposition may also be a type 1 diabetes cause.

What Causes Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes—the most common form of diabetes—is caused by a combination of factors, including insulin resistance, a condition in which the body’s muscle, fat, and liver cells do not use insulin effectively. Type 2 diabetes develops when the body can no longer produce enough insulin to compensate for the impaired ability to use insulin.
Type 2 diabetes is caused by a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors. Although there is a strong family link (you are more likely to get type 2 diabetes if a close family member has it), There are a variety of risk factors for type 2 diabetes, any or all of which increase the chances of developing the condition. These include:

• Obesity (overweight)
• Living a sedentary lifestyle (little physical activity)
• Bad diet (a high fat, high sugar diet)
• Increasing age
• High blood pressure

Other type 2 diabetes causes such as pregnancy or illness can be type 2 diabetes risk factors.

Type 2 diabetes progresses slowly and you can have it for many years without knowing it. It differs from type 1 diabetes, which is thought to occur because the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Type 2 diabetes is not caused by the body’s immune system.
Type 2 diabetes develops most often in middle-aged and older people who are also overweight or obese. The disease, once rare in youth, is becoming more common in overweight and obese children and adolescents. Scientists think genetic susceptibility and environmental factors are the most likely triggers of type 2 diabetes.

What Causes Gestational Diabetes?

Scientists believe gestational diabetes is caused by the hormonal changes and metabolic demands of pregnancy together with genetic and environmental factors.
During pregnancy, a woman’s body needs two to three times more insulin than usual to keep her blood glucose levels normal. Gestational diabetes develops if your pancreas is unable to produce the extra insulin needed, causing higher than normal blood sugar (glucose) levels.
there are a number of risk factors that increase the chances of developing this condition:

• Family history of gestational diabetes
• Overweight or obese
• Suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome
• Have had a large baby weighing over 9lb

Causes of gestational diabetes may also be related to ethnicity – some ethnic groups have a higher risk of gestational diabetes.

Read More

Types of Diabetes

January 15, 2016

Types of Diabetes

Types of Diabetes

There are three types of diabetes

1) Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and kills the beta cells of the pancreas. No, or very little, insulin is released into the body. As a result, glucose builds up in the blood instead of being used as energy. About 5-10 percent of people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. Although type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes, it also can begin in adults.

2) Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. If you have type 2 diabetes your body does not use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance. At first, your pancreas makes extra insulin to make up for it. But, over time it isn’t able to keep up and can’t make enough insulin to keep your blood glucose at normal levels. About 90 percent of all cases of diabetes are type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is normally found in people who are overweight as they get older. Although it is sometimes called adult onset diabetes, in some country, such as the United States, more children and young adults are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes because they are not getting enough activity.

Type 2 diabetes is sometimes considered a lifestyle disease because it is normally triggered by living a fairly sedentary life, being overweight and not participating in exercise. However, age is a factor as well as heredity. If a parent or sibling develops Type 2 diabetes later in life, a person has greater chances to getting Type 2 diabetes as well.

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. 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.

What is Prediabetes?

Prediabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as full-blown diabetes. Doctors sometimes refer to prediabetes as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG), depending on what test was used when it was detected. This condition puts you at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Read More

What is Diabetes?

January 08, 2016

What is Diabetes?

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a group of diseases characterized by high blood glucose levels that result from defects in the body's ability to produce and/or use insulin.

Most of the food you eat is turned into glucose(sugar) that circulates in bloodstream for our bodies to use for energy. Beta cells in the pancreas produces a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn't produce enough insulin or can't use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugars to build up in your blood

Why high blood sugar is bad?

When your blood sugar is high, some of the sugar "overflows" through your kidneys into your urine. Fluid goes with it. This means you make more urine than normal. For this reason, high blood sugar leads to dehydration. Sometimes dehydration from high blood sugar is severe. It can require a hospital stay. You may need to get fluids through a vein (intravenous). Symptoms of too much urine production due to a high blood sugar are frequent urination and thirst.

When sugar flows out in urine, your body loses an important fuel. This loss of sugar (and the calories it contains) can cause an unusually strong appetite and weight loss even though you may eat a lot.

When your blood sugar is high, it is usually a sign that your tissues can't easily pull sugar out of your bloodstream to use for energy. This "sugar-hunger" in your body tissues can cause weakness and fatigue

Blood sugar actually coats red blood cells (hemoglobin), causing them to become stiff. These "sticky cells" interfere with blood circulation, causing cholesterol to build up on the inside of your blood vessels. It can take months to years for the damage to your body to appear. The fragile blood vessels in your eyes, kidneys and feet are most susceptible, so problems are usually noticed first in those areas.

High blood sugar can put you at risk for a host of complications that can affect nearly every organ in the body. They include:

• The heart and blood vessels 
• The eyes 
• The kidneys 
• The nerves 
• The gums and teeth 

Ultimately, diabetes is a chronic health condition that can affect many aspects of your health. It's important that you take high blood sugar seriously. Regular follow-up care may help you better manage the disease and live an active, healthy life.

Read More