Diabetes - The Silent Killer

There are two major types of the disease – Type 1 and Type 2, and they are totally different in root cause. There is also a type of the disease known as gestational diabetes that is only suffered by pregnant women.

To understand the disease, we must first understand the role that insulin plays in our body. When we consume glucose, fructose or carbohydrates, our body converts them into glucose in the blood stream. For us to be able to use the glucose to produce energy, the pancreas produces insulin which 'unlocks' receptors in our cells and permits the glucose to enter the cells and be converted into energy.

Type 1 diabetes is characterised by the failure of the body to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar adequately. It is frequently referred to as juvenile diabetes or insulin dependent diabetes, and it usually occurs in people under 30 years of age.

The symptoms come on quite suddenly and is recognised by unquenchable thirst brought on by an excess of glucose in the blood stream. This consequently results in excessive urination, another symptom. It is a chronic condition – in other words, it is a lifelong condition. It appears that the pancreatic cells that create the insulin could have been destroyed or damaged by the body's own immune system.

Type 1 diabetics make up about 5-10% of diabetes sufferers and it is controlled by administering insulin either by injection or by a drip feed. There is a danger for type 1 diabetics that they may suddenly lose consciousness and they are also at serious risk of contracting further complications in later life.

There is new technology that has surfaced in recent years where an islet cell transplant is undertaken, and although the recipient is required to take anti-rejection drugs, the new cells are capable of producing insulin and trial patients have reported greatly reduced need for insulin injection. The hope is that the injections may one day be entirely eliminated through the use of transplants of islet cells.

Type 1 diabetics are liable over time to suffer from sight problems, vascular disorders, micro-vascular disorders and kidney problems due mainly to deterioration in their blood vessels.

Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90-95% of diabetes cases. Sufferers from type 2 diabetes are able to manufacture insulin, but their cell receptors have become resistant to insulin. Their body must therefore produce more and more insulin to be able to 'unlock' the cells so that they are able to extract the glucose from the blood stream. Eventually, these sufferers reach the point where they cannot create enough insulin to reduce the sugar levels in their blood stream.

The disease affects 15-20% of those over sixty. A large number of adults remain undiagnosed as diabetes sufferers. It is usually diagnosed during a doctor's check-up following complaints of problems such as urinary, skin or chest infections.

Type 2 diabetes can be controlled through weight reduction and diet control or with prescription medicines. Although there is an inherited predisposition to the disease in a high number of cases, it is kick started by being obese, not taking sufficient exercise and pursuing a diet high in high glycaemic index carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, sugar and fruit).Exercise, weight management and an eating regime low in fructose, sugars and processed carbohydrates are acknowledged to be important as avoidance techniques.

Many members of the medical profession are expressing alarm at the recent trend of type 2 diabetes cases being found in children. This is thought to be due to the prevalence of overweight children, combined with the lack of exercise taken by overweight children and the diet they follow that is high in sugar and carbohydrates with a high glycaemic index.

About 4% of pregnant women are diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Most women recover from this form of diabetes once the baby has been born, but it does seem to indicate a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes in later life.

The most recognised symptom of diabetes is constant thirst and subsequent regular urination. Other symptoms include unexplained weight loss, constant fatigue, dizziness, itching and pain in the legs whilst walking.

If diabetes just meant taking insulin for the remainder of your life, it wouldn't be such a worrying problem. Sadly, people suffering from diabetes have a number of increased risks including:

- twice the rate of heart disease as non-diabetics

- five times more likely to have a stroke

- the most frequent need for amputation of limbs discounting accidents

- diabetes is the leading cause in all new cases of blindness in persons aged 24 to 74

- the leading cause of end-stage renal disease and over one third of new kidney diseases.

Consistent and accurate management of blood sugars lowers the chances of any of the above occurring.

This article on the causes and treatment of diabetes was written by Terry Cod, a travel writer who himself suffers from the illness. He is the owner of www.twistedorange.co.uk/ which has sections on healthy eating, diet plans and weight loss.

Article Source: http://www.wellnessarticlelibrary.com

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