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Diabetes is a
chronic disease in which the body does not
make, or does not properly use, insulin.
Insulin is the hormone that helps your body
use the energy from sugar, starches and other
foods. The result is that your body doesn't
get the energy it needs, and unmetabolized
sugar (glucose), builds up in your blood
causing damage to the body and its systems.
Glucose is a form
of sugar produced when the body digests
carbohydrates (sugars and starches). Glucose
is the body's major fuel for the energy it
needs. When insulin is absent or ineffective,
the blood glucose (blood sugar) level
increases. High blood glucose levels can lead
to both short and long-term problems.
There are
different kinds of diabetes, each with
slightly varying symptoms and treatments. The
principal forms are Type
1 and Type
2. There are related conditions that are
considered to be “prediabetic” and
may be reversible – impaired
glucose tolerance and impaired fasting glucose.
Pregnant women may develop gestational
diabetes. Women who already have diabetes
may also have certain condition-related
concerns during pregnancy
with diabetes.
Symptoms
of diabetes
If you are experiencing
one or more of the following symptoms
associated with diabetes, immediately consult
your healthcare professional.
- Increased
urination
- Blurred vision
- Fatigue or
drowsiness
- Poorly healing
cuts or bruises
- Increased
hunger and thirst
- Rapid weight
loss
- Dry, itchy skin
- Loss of feeling
in hands or feet
At present, no
cure is available for diabetes. But with
regular self-monitoring
of blood glucose and a proper combination of diet,
exercise
and medication,
people with diabetes lead active, healthy
lives.
Prevention
of diabetes
Research studies have
found that lifestyle changes can prevent or
delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes among
high-risk adults. Changing diet and adding
moderate exercise (such as walking) reduced
the development of diabetes in study
participants by over 40% during the study.
In the Diabetes
Prevention Program, a large prevention study
of people at high risk for diabetes, people
treated with medication reduced their risk of
developing diabetes by over 30%. Treatment was
most effective among younger, heavier people
(those 25-40 years of age who were 50 to 80
pounds overweight) and less effective among
older people and people who were not as
overweight.
There is no known
way to prevent Type 1 diabetes.
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