What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce enough
insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches, and
other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes
is somewhat unclear, but both genetic and environmental factors
appear to play major roles. Factors such as obesity and lack of
exercise are common examples. For individuals who are diagnosed
with diabetes of any type, life becomes somewhat of a pair of scales
which must constantly be balanced. Because diabetes creates a
complication between the delicate balances of sugars and insulin,
sickness can often occur. There are two major types of diabetes,
type 1 and type 2:
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Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease(where the body's immune system
fights the body as if it were foreign) in which the body does
not produce any insulin, most often occurring in children and young
adults. People with type 1 diabetes must take daily insulin
injections to stay alive. Type 1 accounts for around 5-10 percent
of diabetics.
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Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder resulting from the body's
inability to make enough, or properly use, insulin. It is the most
common form of the disease. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90-95
percent of diabetes. Type 2 is nearing epidemic proportions, due to
an increased number of older Americans, and a greater prevalence of
obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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There are two other varieties of diabetes that are much less common.
Gestational diabetes is a condition which rarely occurs during
pregnancy. It happens in appoximately 2-5 percent of all pregnancies
but disappears after the pregnancy is over. These mothers are
however at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in
life as a result. The second group of less common diabetes are
caused by many different reasons including specific genetic
syndromes, surgery complications, drugs, malnutrition, infections,
and other illnesses.
What does diabetes have to do with heart disease?
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Individuals who have diabetes are 2 to 4 times more likely to have
heart disease. Heart disease is found in 75 percent of
diabetes-related deaths (more than 77,000 deaths due to heart
disease annually). Diabetics are also 2 to 4 times more likely to
suffer a stroke. Cardiovascular disease caused by atherosclerosis
("hardening of the arteries") accounts for approximately 25 percent
of deaths among patients with onset of diabetes before 20 years of
age. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death (sixth-leading
cause of death by disease) in the United States. Based on death
certificate date, diabetes contributed to more than 187,000 deaths
in 1995. Diabetes has no cure. Beyond heart disease, it can cause
or contribute to blindness, kidney disease, nerve disease and
stroke.
Who is at risk for having diabetes?
Everyone is a possible candidate. To assume that you could not have
it might be enough to hurt you if you do. There are risk factors to
consider however. People at risk include:
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Blood relatives of people with diabetes
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Women with unexplained miscarriages or stillbirths or who have had
babies weighing 9 pounds or more at birth.
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African Americans 55 and over (1.7 times more likely to have diabetes
than Caucasians).
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Hispanics above 45 (type 2 diabetes is 2-4 times more likely than in
Caucasians).
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Native Americans over 19 (12.2% of all Native Americans over this age
have type 2 diabetes).
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People with a condition known as "impaired glucose intolerance".
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People with high blood pressure or very high blood cholesterol or
triglyceride levels.
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People who are obese.
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People in general over age 65.
How can I find out if I have a type of diabetes?
There several tests that your physician can order that will determine
whether you have diabetes or not. Such tests include blood glucose
level tests, urine tests, fasting plasma glucose test, oral glucose
tolerance test and several others. Once your physician determines
whether or not if you are diabetic, he or she will then determine if
you are type 1 or type 2.
Type 1 people, in general, are diagnosed when they are under 30 years
old, lean, and have had diabetic ketoacidosis (which sometimes leads
to coma) or have high levels of ketones in their urine. Type 2
individuals are most often diagnosed when they are over 30 and
obese. They usually do not have urine ketones. Of course, as with
many medical conditions, there are exceptions to these categories.
