Diabetes, a disease characterized by chronic high levels of glucose in the blood, is not the major problem it once was. Prior to the end of the 19th century, it might well have been a death sentence for many. Excess glucose can have a number of ill effects, including poor cut healing or kidney damage, even coma. With the advancement of monitoring and insulin delivery methods, it’s often now little more than another daily task to perform.
Diabetes occurs from either the body’s ineffective use of insulin or its failure to produce sufficient insulin. Type 1 diabetes results from the pancreas’ islet cells failing to produce sufficient insulin to permit blood glucose to enter the cells and be used as energy. Type 2 diabetes is termed insulin-resistant diabetes, since cellular resistance to insulin’s action allows excess glucose to stay in the blood.
Puzzling as the causes of diabetes are, it is generally agreed that environmental or lifestyle factors combine with genetics to cause diabetes. Occasionally, one factor is obviously dominant. Approximately three out a hundred pregnant women develop diabetes during their pregnancy (gestational diabetes). Gestational diabetes generally occurs in the third trimester; delivery brings an end to the condition. By comparison, Type 1 is genetic and it affects mainly the young.
Excessive thirst and frequent urination accompany all forms of diabetes. Some patients experience stomach cramps or dizziness. Since these symptoms can indicate a number of diseases, anyone experiencing them should have a doctor’s examination.
Those tests are simple and relatively painless, only requiring a small blood sample. Blood glucose level is measured, with normal running around 99 mg/dL, while diabetics have a level of 126 mg/dL or above. It may require more than one test to confirm the disease.
If a diagnosis of diabetes is confirmed, you will need daily blood glucose monitoring. Today’s technology makes this simple and fairly painless. You place a small pin prick sample of blood on a strip which is then pushed into a small monitoring device; in seconds, the device reads your glucose level. Devices have also been devised which require no blood; they measure the glucose level through your skin with an infrared beam.
Though diabetes is still a serious disease, diabetes management is easier today than ever before. Most people with diabetes can ward off serious complications through a proper treatment routine. Diabetes is no longer the disabling problem it was in the past; now diabetics can enjoy the same long, active lives that everyone else does.