Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal.
Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies
to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach,
makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of
our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn't make enough
insulin or can't use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes
sugar to build up in your blood.
Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease,
blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations. Diabetes
is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.
What
are the symptoms of diabetes?
People who think they might have diabetes must visit a physician for
diagnosis. They might have SOME or NONE of the following symptoms:
- Frequent urination
- Excessive thirst
- Unexplained weight loss
- Extreme hunger
- Sudden vision changes
- Tingling or numbness in hands or feet
- Feeling very tired much of the time
- Very dry skin
- Sores that are slow to heal
- More infections than usual.
Nausea, vomiting, or stomach pains may accompany some of these symptoms
in the abrupt onset of insulin-dependent diabetes, now called type 1
diabetes.
What
are the types of diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes, which was previously called insulin-dependent
diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes, may account for
5% to 10% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes,
which was previously called non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM)
or adult-onset diabetes, may account for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed
cases of diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes
that only pregnant women get. If not treated, it can cause problems for
mothers and babies. Gestational diabetes develops in 2% to 5% of all
pregnancies but usually disappears when a pregnancy is over. Other
specific types of diabetes resulting from specific genetic syndromes,
surgery, drugs, malnutrition, infections, and other illnesses may account
for 1% to 2% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.
What
are the risk factors for diabetes?
Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include older age, obesity, family
history of diabetes, prior history of gestational diabetes, impaired
glucose tolerance, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity. African Americans,
Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, and some Asian Americans
and Pacific Islanders are at particularly high risk for type 2 diabetes.
Risk factors are less well defined for type 1 diabetes than for type
2 diabetes, but autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors are involved
in developing this type of diabetes.
Gestational diabetes occurs more frequently in African Americans, Hispanic/Latino
Americans, American Indians, and people with a family history of diabetes
than in other groups. Obesity is also associated with higher risk. Women
who have had gestational diabetes are at increased risk for later developing
type 2 diabetes. In some studies, nearly 40% of women with a history
of gestational diabetes developed diabetes in the future.
Other specific types of diabetes, which may account for 1% to 2% of
all diagnosed cases, result from specific genetic syndromes, surgery,
drugs, malnutrition, infections, and other illnesses.
What
is the treatment for diabetes?
Healthy eating, physical activity, and insulin injections are the basic
therapies for type 1 diabetes. The amount of insulin taken must be balanced
with food intake and daily activities. Blood glucose levels must be closely
monitored through frequent blood glucose testing.
Healthy eating, physical activity, and blood glucose testing are the
basic therapies for type 2 diabetes. In addition, many people with type
2 diabetes require oral medication, insulin, or both to control their
blood glucose levels.
People with diabetes must take responsibility for their day-to-day care,
and keep blood glucose levels from going too low or too high.
People with diabetes should see a health care provider who will monitor
their diabetes control and help them learn to manage their diabetes.
In addition, people with diabetes may see endocrinologists, who may specialize
in diabetes care; ophthalmologists for eye examinations; podiatrists
for routine foot care; and dietitians and diabetes educators who teach
the skills needed for daily diabetes management.
What
causes Type 1 diabetes?
The causes of type 1 diabetes appear to be much different than those
for type 2 diabetes, though the exact mechanisms for developing both
diseases are unknown. The appearance of type 1 diabetes is suspected
to follow exposure to an "environmental trigger," such as an unidentified
virus, stimulating an immune attack against the beta cells of the pancreas
(that produce insulin) in some genetically predisposed people.
Can
diabetes be prevented?
A number of studies have shown that regular physical activity can significantly
reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes also appears
to be associated with obesity.
Researchers are making progress in identifying the exact genetics and "triggers" that
predispose some individuals to develop type 1 diabetes, but prevention
remains elusive.
See the Preventing Diabetes section in
these FAQs for more information.
Is there
a cure for diabetes?
In response to the growing health burden of diabetes, the diabetes community
has three choices: prevent diabetes; cure diabetes; and improve the quality
of care of people with diabetes to prevent devastating complications.
All three approaches are actively being pursued by the US Department
of Health and Human Services.
Both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) are involved in prevention activities. The
NIH is involved in research to cure both type 1 and type 2 diabetes,
especially type 1. CDC focuses most of its programs on being sure that
the proven science is put into daily practice for people with diabetes.
The basic idea is that if all the important research and science are
not applied meaningfully in the daily lives of people with diabetes,
then the research is, in essence, wasted.
Several approaches to "cure" diabetes are being pursued:
- Pancreas transplantation
- Islet cell transplantation (islet cells produce insulin)
- Artificial pancreas development
- Genetic manipulation (fat or muscle cells that don’t normally
make insulin have a human insulin gene inserted — then these "pseudo" islet
cells are transplanted into people with type 1 diabetes).
Each of these approaches still has a lot of challenges, such as preventing
immune rejection; finding an adequate number of insulin cells; keeping
cells alive; and others. But progress is being made in all areas.
For more information, review this page: Diabetes
Organizations
Also, check our sitemap
for more information on this web site.
