|
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.
|
