What is diabetes?

Answer 1

What is 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. Thus, the body loses its main source of fuel even though the blood contains large amounts of glucose.

What are the types of diabetes?

The three main types of diabetes are:

type 1 diabetes
type 2 diabetes
gestational diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease results when the body's system for fighting infection (the immune system) turns against a part of the body. In diabetes, the immune system attacks the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and destroys them. The pancreas then produces little or no insulin. A person who has type 1 diabetes must take insulin daily to live.

At present, scientists do not know exactly what causes the body's immune system to attack the beta cells, but they believe that autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors, possibly viruses, are involved. Type 1 diabetes accounts for about 5 to 10 percent of diagnosed diabetes in the United States. It develops most often in children and young adults, but can appear at any age.

Symptoms of type 1 diabetes usually develop over a short period, although beta cell destruction can begin years earlier. Symptoms include increased thirst and urination, constant hunger, weight loss, blurred vision, and extreme fatigue. If not diagnosed and treated with insulin, a person with type 1 diabetes can lapse into a life-threatening diabetic coma, also known as diabetic ketoacidosis.

Type 2 Diabetes

The most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes. About 90 to 95 percent of people with diabetes have type 2. This form of diabetes is associated with older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, previous history of gestational diabetes, physical inactivity, and ethnicity. About 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight.

Type 2 diabetes is increasingly being diagnosed in children and adolescents. However, nationally representative data on prevalence of type 2 diabetes in youth are not available.

When type 2 diabetes is diagnosed, the pancreas is usually producing enough insulin, but for unknown reasons, the body cannot use the insulin effectively, a condition called insulin resistance. After several years, insulin production decreases. The result is the same as for type 1 diabetes--glucose builds up in the blood and the body cannot make efficient use of its main source of fuel.

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes develop gradually. Their onset is not as sudden as in type 1 diabetes. Symptoms may include fatigue or nausea, frequent urination, unusual thirst, weight loss, blurred vision, frequent infections, and slow healing of wounds or sores. Some people have no symptoms.

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes develops only during pregnancy. Like type 2 diabetes, it occurs more often in African Americans, American Indians, Hispanic Americans, and among women with a family history of diabetes. Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 20 to 50 percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes within 5 to 10 years.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

2

Answer 4

Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong disease that affects the way your body uses food for energy. The disease develops when an organ called the pancreas cannot make enough insulin or when the body is not able to use insulin correctly. Insulin is a hormone that allows the body's cells to use sugar (glucose) for energy. Insulin also helps the body store extra sugar in muscle, fat, and liver cells.

When insulin is not available or is not used correctly, the level of sugar in your blood gets too high and cells do not get the energy they need. If your blood sugar stays high for a long time, you can develop problems with your eyes, heart, blood vessels, nerves, and kidneys.

Controlling your blood sugar is the best way to avoid serious complications from type 2 diabetes, such as heart and blood vessel diseases. Many people who have type 2 diabetes enjoy healthy, active lives when they are able to control their blood sugar. Exercising, eating healthy foods, and taking medicines all help control blood sugar.

More and more adults and children are developing type 2 diabetes. This is largely because of bad eating habits and a lack of physical activity. It is important to know whether you or your children are at risk for type 2 diabetes and to know what you can do to help prevent the disease.

Answer 5

Diabetes is a disease where the body produces either no insulin (Type1) or not enough insulin (Type2). Insulin is the chemical by which the body metabolizes sugar. All food are eventually turned into sugar by the body. Untreated high blood sugars can cause a panoply of other diseases in the heart, eyes, kidneys and other organs.

Answer 6

Diabetes is a lifelong condition wherein the patient suffers from high blood glucose level due to inadequate insulin production or due to the cells inability to respond to insulin. Patients suffering from high blood sugar experience frequent urination urges, hunger pangs and increasing thirst.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

it is a diease of the body it affects the insulin either you can produce insulin from the panacres or not then you are pit on insulin to take and you have to check your sugar levels if they are high in the 500 to 600 or more then you are diabetic and in need of care right away. it can run in your family have a history of it and you have to take very good care of yourself.

Answer 9

It's people who do not produce insulin, the cannot have sugar, or too many starchy food, due to starches turn to sugar. They have to have insulin shots, or if its not bad you can do it by diet, or the pill. I learned all this through Grandpa & Father in-law & home health.

Answer 10

Either too much or too little insulin (regulates blood sugar) is produced by the body, and medication is needed to correct this.