Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas to control blood glucose. Diabetes can also be caused by a lack of insulin resistance by this hormone or both.
To understand diabetes, it’s important to first understand the normal process by which the body breaks down food and uses it for energy.
Several processes occur when food is digested:
- A sugar called glucose enters the bloodstream. Glucose is a source of fuel for the body.
- An organ called the pancreas produces insulin. Insulin’s job is to absorb glucose from the bloodstream, muscle cells, fat, and the liver, where sugar is used for fuel.
People with diabetes have too much sugar in their blood. This is due to the fact that:
- The pancreas does not produce enough insulin.
- Muscle, fat, and liver cells do not respond properly to insulin.
There are three main types of diabetes:
- Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in childhood. Many patients are diagnosed after the age of 20. Due to this disease, the body produces little or no insulin. Daily insulin injections are necessary. The exact cause is unknown. Genetics, viruses and autoimmune problems may be of interest
- Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common type. Includes most cases of diabetes. It usually occurs in adults, but more and more young people are being diagnosed with this disease. The pancreas does not produce enough insulin to maintain normal blood glucose levels, usually because the body does not respond well to insulin. Many people don’t know they have type 2 diabetes, even though it is a serious disease. Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common due to the increase in cases of obesity and lack of physical exercise
- Gestational diabetes is a high amount of glucose in the blood that occurs at any time during pregnancy in non-diabetic women. Women with gestational diabetes are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the future
Diabetes affects more than 20 million Americans. More than 40 million Americans have prediabetes (early type 2 diabetes).
There are many risk factors for type 2 diabetes, including:
- Age over 45 years
- Father, mother, siblings with diabetes
- Gestational diabetes or giving birth to a baby weighing more than 4 kg
- Heart disease
- High blood cholesterol level
- obesity
- Not enough physical exercise
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (in women)
- Impaired glucose tolerance
- Some ethnic groups (mainly African American, Native American, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Hispanic American)
Symptoms
Elevated blood glucose levels can cause a number of problems, including:
- Blurry vision
- Excessive thirst
- Tired
- frequent urination
- Hunger
- weightloss
However, due to the fact that type 2 diabetes develops slowly, some people with high blood glucose levels do not feel symptoms.
Symptoms of type 1 diabetes:
- Tired
- increased thirst
- increased urination
- Nausea
- Vomits
- Weight loss despite increased appetite.
Patients with type 1 diabetes usually develop symptoms in a short period of time. This disease is often diagnosed in an emergency situation.
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes:
- Blurry vision
- Tired
- increased appetite
- increased thirst
- increased urination
Treatment
The immediate goals are to treat diabetic ketoacidosis and high blood glucose levels. Because type 1 diabetes starts suddenly and has severe symptoms, people who have just been diagnosed may need to go to the hospital.
The goals of long-term treatment are:
- extended life
- reduce symptoms
- Prevention of complications related to diseases such as blindness, heart disease, liver failure and limb amputation
These objectives are achieved through:
- Control of blood pressure and cholesterol.
- Careful self-tests of blood glucose levels
- educational measures
- Physical exercise
- foot care
- Meal planning and weight control.
- Use of medications or insulin
There is no cure for diabetes. Treatment consists of medication, diet, and physical exercise to control blood sugar and prevent symptoms.
LEARN THESIS TECHNIQUES
Basic diabetes management technique helps avoid the need for emergency care.
These techniques include:
- How to recognize and treat low (hypoglycemia) and high (hyperglycemia) blood sugar levels
- what to eat and when
- How to administer insulin or oral medication
- How to measure and record blood glucose
- As a urine test to check for ketones (type 1 diabetes only)
- How to adjust insulin or food intake by changing eating habits and exercise
- How to deal with days when you don’t feel well
- Where to buy diabetic supplies and how to store them
Once you learn the basics of diabetes care, learn how the disease can cause long-term health problems and the best ways to prevent these problems. Review and update your knowledge, because new research and better methods for treating diabetes are constantly being developed.