What is Diabetes - Really?
When people ask, "What is diabetes?" they usually have are asking about one of three diabetes types that most people are familiar with. When a person takes a brief look at what is diabetes, they will find that these types of diabetes can be resolved with a change in lifestyle, while other require a life time of insulin medication or shots.
Type 1 diabetes occurs in about 5-10% of children and young adults in the US each year. It is caused by an auto-immune disorder. The beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin comes under attack by the immune system. When this occurs the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin for the body.
The symptoms of Type 1 diabetes occur very quickly. A person will suffer from extreme thirst, hunger, weight loss, fatigue, blurred vision, and frequent urination. If no treatment is administered a person can go into a diabetic coma (diabetic ketoacidosis). Type 1 diabetes is very serious and can be life-threatening if not treated.
The National Institute of Health has found that 95% of the adults in the United State who are over age thirty-five suffer from Type 2 diabetes. One reason for this is that 80% of the people who have Type 2 diabetes are overweight. A person with this type of diabetes is not getting insulin because their cells have become resistant to it.
Type 2 diabetes is triggered by obesity, lack of exercise, some ethnicity's, a person's age and, in some cases, genetics. Other triggers for this type of diabetes include high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Unhealthy eating habits are the greatest cause for Type 2 diabetes. When a person has a lifestyle that does not include proper diet and exercise, they are greatly susceptible to Type 2 diabetes.
People will develop the symptoms of this diabetes gradually over a long period of time. They will feel extreme fatigue, blurred vision, increased thirst and hunger, slow healing of wounds and sores, and frequent urination.
In many cases when an individual changes their lifestyle and develop good eating habits and exercising, the diabetes will resolve itself. These people do not need to take medication. However, there are cases when the diabetes is not resolved with diet and exercise and medication must be taken at that time.
Women in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy can develop gestational diabetes. This diabetes occurs in 3-8% of pregnant women and is resolved when they have the baby. Many women who develop this diabetes during pregnancy are instructed on the proper exercise and diet to keep the diabetes in control when they are pregnant.
Many women who have gestational diabetes when they are pregnant, will develop it with later pregnancies. They also have a 40% risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.
About the Author:
Kenn Fong, writer. To find out more on Can you Die from Diabetes], visit his web site The Diabetes Scoop.
Author: Henry KH Fong