Nearly everybody has heard the term diabetes. You may know someone with the disease. Though it is a well-known term, many people have only a vague idea of exactly what diabetes is.
Diabetes happens if the body doesn’t make enough insulin or if the body’s cells resist using insulin. The result is an abnormally high blood glucose level.
When too little insulin is produced, Type 1 diabetes occurs. When the cells resist insulin Type 2 diabetes occurs. Type 2 is the most prevalent, happening in 90 % of all cases of diabetes. Type 1 is occurs in approximately 7 % of the cases. Diabetes afflicts some 7% of Americans, the majority of whom are 60 or over.
There are other types, such as gestational diabetes that sometimes afflicts pregnant women, and others. But they are much less common and, in some cases, temporary.
Typical symptoms for either type are abnormally frequent urination, produced by the body’s attempt to clear excess glucose by elimination. As a result, unusual thirst is common, compensated for by drinking higher than average amounts.
Traditionally, Type 1 has been called juvenile onset diabetes, since it usually afflicts children or teenagers. Type 2 has been designated adult onset diabetes, since it generally occurs in older people. An autoimmune system malfunction of the pancreas may be the main cause of Type 1 diabetes. Obesity and other lifestyle factors may lead to Type 2.
Type 1 and Type 2 have some genetic components. Both types result in the body being unable to eliminate glucose from the bloodstream due to faulty or insufficient insulin use or production.
Insulin is a hormone. It primarily regulates the blood glucose level. Carbohydrates are used by the body to produce glucose. Glucose is used for energy which fuels muscle movement, cell repair, and numerous other functions. Glucose enters the cells with the help of insulin.
Diabetes occurs if the body has insufficient insulin or if the cells resist taking in glucose because of the improper use of insulin. Most insulin is produced in the pancreas, so problems with this organ can result in diabetes.
The condition, whether Type 1 or Type 2, is usually chronic. But chronic doesn’t mean that nothing can be done to minimize the effects. With proper diet and what are today relatively simple treatments, diabetes of either type is manageable. And the disease itself comes in a range of degrees. In some cases, the amount of insulin produced or used is only slightly under what’s needed. In other cases, the pancreas produces almost none or the cells resist it strongly.
Since excess glucose left in the bloodstream can lead to a range of complications, diabetes can have a number of follow up effects. But how severe those effects are depends on the severity of the insulin deprivation or resistance.