Some many people are suffering from this disease and really don't understand what it means to be diabetic, in layman's terms, please enlighten us regarding this grave health issue.
2007-06-20 15:31:53 · 8 answers · asked by Sustagurl2 7 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is the one that is spreading like wildfire across North America because so many of us are obese and don't eat well and exercise. Glucose is sugar. If you eat a lot of sugar or carbs (which turn into sugar once digested) you are giving your body way more sugar then it can handle. This causes your insulin levels to go way too high and you can get seriously sick and even die. Diabetes can cause a stroke, you can go into an insulin-induced coma or you can loose sensation in your extremities and end up with a severe infection and need amputation. It basically cuts off circulation and you don't feel any pain so you don't notice that there's a problem. You can also go blind because of this bad circulation to the optic nerve behind your eyes. These are the most common side effects of Type 2 diabetes. The best way to avoid it is very simple. Eat well and exercise.
2007-06-20 15:48:39 · answer #1 · answered by pharma info 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
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2016-05-17 16:08:47 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-09-19 06:30:39 · answer #3 · answered by Arthur 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Phantomlimb has some of it right.
But the brain does not need insulin. So when a person has untreated diabetes, their brains still function even though, in the absence of insulin, most of the body's cells are starving.
Only when there's an excess of insulin does the blood sugar drop so low that the brain gets cut off from its supply. That's why hypoglycemia is so dangerous for diabetics. But it can only happen to diabetics who are on insulin.
On the other hand, if blood sugar runs really high for a long time, ketoacidosis can cause coma and death, but that's another issue and has nothing to do with the brain not getting glucose.
Also, there are oral meds that increase sensitivity to insulin in type 2 diabetics. They do not increase insulin production. These are the first line orals because they do not cause hypoglycemia.
2007-06-20 15:47:20 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
The pancreas is an organ that creates a hormone called insulin. In type one diabetes the pancreas dosen't make insulin on its own.This means that type one diabetics must take insulin shots and monitor their sugar levels on a regular basis. In my type of diabetes Type 2 or Adult Onset diabetes my pancreas still creates some insulin but I need metaformin a pill to supplement my natural insulin production. This keeps my glucose levels at an acceptable level. I can also control my diabetes by watching my diet and testing my sugar levels once a day. There are also complications that can arise from both kinds of diabetes such as loss of sight, kidney problems and amputation of limbs, Type one diabetics must also watch their sugar levels to make sure they don't go into insulin shock or coma.
2007-06-20 15:43:39 · answer #5 · answered by London Catlover 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In short diabetes is a shortage of insulin in the body. The cells of the body cannot take sugar (glucose) into themselves without insulin. If you are diabetic, you a) stopped making insulin all together or b) make insufficient insulin to meet your needs.
High blood sugar levels are a sign of diabetes, because if it can't get into the cells, it ends up in the circulation, and you end up peeing it out or breathing it out. This is why the breath and urine of the diabetic smells and tastes, sweet.
ALL cells run on glucose. If your cells don't get any glucose, they starve and die. Your brain is the one organ of the body that is extremely glucose dependent. It has no reserves of glucose to run off of. Too little glucose in your brain cells means that they die, quick. This is why diabetics can fall into a coma, and die from lack of glucose to the brain.
Diabetics must take insulin or an oral medication which stimulates the pancrease (an organ in the belly) to make insulin. they also have to watch their diet to keep their blood sugars in the normal range (which is 70-120 mg/dL of blood)
Try the American Diabetes Association website to learn more (www.ada.org)
2007-06-20 15:40:07 · answer #6 · answered by phantomlimb7 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When someone has diabetes, it really depends on what type they really have. One type allows certain problems more than the other and that's the most common type is type one. The pancreas controls the amount of sugar in your body and when your body doesn't have enough, your sugar levels are very unstable.
2007-06-20 15:37:27 · answer #7 · answered by jamaican101gurl 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
um.. their pancreas isnt making the normal amounts of insulin.. therefore either making the glucose too high or too low..
2007-06-20 15:34:29 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋