Healthcore - Diabetes, Type 1, Type 2

Question: How many of the 16 million Americans with diabetes don't know they have it?

Answer: 1 in 3

What is Diabetes
Diabetes is a term used to describe a number of complications related to the body's insulin production and response. As part of the digestion process, your body breaks food down into a simple sugar called glucose. In a healthy person, a steady supply of glucose is used to nourish and energize the body's cells. But, glucose cannot "feed" cells without gaining access to them. This is why insulin is so important. It is insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas, that enables glucose to "access" cells.

Diabetics have a problem either producing insulin, or getting their body to respond to insulin properly. This causes glucose to buildup in the blood stream, while the cells literally starve. Think of it as being stranded on a raft in the middle of the ocean. You're dying of thirst, and what you need (water) is all around you. It's just not in a form you can use or access.
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Facts
It's not hard to imagine that diabetes can pose some very serious health threats. Consider these statistics compiled by the American Diabetes Association:

Diabetes is the sixth-leading cause of death by disease
Diabetes causes more blindness in 20 to 74 year olds than any other condition. Each year, 12,000 to 24,000 people lose their sight from diabetes.
Ten to 20 percent of all diabetics will develop kidney disease, which can lead to kidney failure. In such case, the diabetic must have a kidney transplant or dialysis to live.
Heart disease death rates are two to four times higher for diabetics than adults without diabetes.
Diabetics are also two to four times as likely to suffer a stroke.
Diabetics are at risk of nerve disease and amputation from circulatory disorders. Sixty to 70 percent of diabetics have mild forms of nerve damage. Severe nerve damage requires more than 50,000 leg and foot amputations each year. In fact, the risk of leg amputation is 15 to 40 times greater for diabetics than the general population.
Diabetes can even lead to impotence. Diabetic men over 50 have impotence rates as high as 50 to 60 percent.
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Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. You may have heard it called juvenile diabetes. This is a condition in which the body can't produce insulin. Researchers don't know why this happens, but some say there might be a connection to an earlier bout with illness, such as chicken pox. They cite a malfunction in the body's immune system, which has recently increased it efforts in fighting off a serious illness. The immune system then turns on the pancreas and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Further evidence suggests that genetics, obesity and lack of exercise may also play a role in the onset of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes occurs most often in children and young adults. It requires daily injections of insulin to stay alive. Insulin must be injected into the bloodstream, because taking it orally would risk having it broken down by stomach acids before it can be used. Only about five to 10 percent of diabetics are type 1.

Risk factor for type 1 diabetes
Having a brother, sister or parent with type 1 diabetes.
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Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder. In this case, a person doesn't produce enough insulin or the body doesn't respond to the insulin. An overwhelming majority of diabetics, about 90 percent, are type 2. The important thing to know about type 2 diabetes is that it can often be controlled. A large number of type 2 sufferers are able to curb the disorder. Good blood-sugar control is the key to living with diabetes. This can be done through diet, weight maintenance, exercise, routine health checks and not smoking. Usually, that is all that is needed. When it is not enough, a type 2 diabetic may require oral medication or insulin injections.

Risk factors for type 2 diabetes

Age - 45 and older
Family history
Obesity
Little or no exercise
A low HDL cholesterol level
A high triglyceride level
Race and ethnicity - African, Hispanic and Native Americans; Asian and Pacific Islanders
Women who had gestational diabetes - this is a temporary form of insulin resistance in pregnant women. It can increase a woman's risk of developing type 2 diabetes later on.

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Signs of Diabetes

Type 1

frequent urination

excessive thirst

unusual weight loss

fatigue

irritable moods

Type 2

any type 1 symptoms
frequent skin, gum or bladder infections
bruises and abrasions that don't heal
numbness in hands and feet
blurred vision

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Take the Test
The American Diabetes Association has developed a diabetes risk test. Click here to find out about your risk level.
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Need more information on health and wellness?
Click here for information on diet, nutrition and health resource books. Learn when to see the doctor and what causes symptoms.

Practice management services provided by The Health Group, Dallas, Texas.