Understanding Diabetes
Diabetes awareness is important for understanding the risk factors for diabetes, promoting early detection and encouraging lifestyle changes that can help prevent or delay the onset of the disease. Diabetes comes in many forms that result in too much sugar in the blood, also known as high blood glucose. The primary forms of diabetes are: prediabetes, gestational diabetes, type 1 and type 2 diabetes. All types of diabetes affect sugar levels in the human body.
Glucose is the main source for energy in the human body. The human body naturally produces glucose in the liver in the form of glycogen. Glucose can also come from the foods we eat. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas to break down large glucose molecules to easily move through the human body. When the human body’s ability to produce enough insulin is deprived, the risk of having too much glucose in the body is at a high risk. When glucose is not broken down to reach cells it stays dormant in the blood ultimately raising blood sugar levels.
Pre-diabetes
Pre-diabetes means you have a higher than normal blood sugar level. It's not high enough to be considered Type 2 diabetes yet. But without lifestyle changes, adults and children with prediabetes are at high risk to develop Type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes occurs when your immune system, the body’s system for fighting infection, attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. In Type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. The body breaks down the carbohydrates you eat into blood glucose (blood sugar) that it uses for energy, and insulin is a hormone that the body needs to get glucose from the bloodstream into the cells of the body.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and is caused by several factors, including lifestyle factors and genes. With Type 2, your body doesn’t use insulin properly. While some people can control their blood glucose levels with healthy eating and exercise, others may need medication or insulin to help manage it. You are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes if you are not physically active and are overweight or obese. Extra weight sometimes causes insulin resistance and is common in people with Type 2 diabetes. The location of body fat also makes a difference. Extra belly fat is linked to insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes and heart and blood vessel disease. Type 2 diabetes usually begins with insulin resistance, a condition in which muscle, liver, and fat cells do not use insulin well. As a result, your body needs more insulin to help glucose enter cells. At first, the pancreas makes more insulin to keep up with the added demand. Over time, the pancreas can’t make enough insulin, and blood glucose levels rise.
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy and is caused by the hormonal changes of pregnancy along with genetic and lifestyle factors. As with Type 2 diabetes, extra weight is linked to gestational diabetes. Women who are overweight or obese may already have insulin resistance when they become pregnant. Gaining too much weight during pregnancy may also be a factor.
Other Types of Diabetes
There are other specific types of diabetes due to other causes. For example, monogenic diabetes syndromes (such as neonatal diabetes and maturity-onset diabetes of the young), diseases of the exocrine pancreas (such as cystic fibrosis and pancreatitis), and drug- or chemical-induced diabetes (such as with glucocorticoid use, in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, or after organ transplantation).
Certain factors increase the chance of becoming a diabetic such as:
Family history
Genetics
Geography
Age
Diabetes can affect almost every part of the human body such as:
Heart and blood disease
Nerve damage
Kidney damage
Eye damage
Foot damage
Skin and mouth conditions
Pregnancy complications
Symptoms:
Increased thirst and hunger
Increased urination
Fatigue
Blurred vision
Numbness or tingling in the feet or hands
Sores that do not heal
Unexplained weight loss