Diabetes, Causes, Symptoms, Types, Prevention and Treatment

  

Diabetes, Causes, Symptoms, Types, Prevention and Treatment

DIABETES, TYPES , SYMPTOMS, CAUSES AND TREATMENT

The World Health Organization estimates that more than 230 million people worldwide have diabetes and it keeps increasing. And this affect both young and old alike.

BUT WHAT IS DIABETES? Diabetes is a condition that causes a person to have an excessive level of blood sugar. The disease upsets the normal process of transferring sugar from the bloodstream into cells that need it for energy. The result is damage to vital organs and impairment of blood circulation, sometimes leading to toe or foot amputation, blindness, and kidney disease. A large proportion of diabetes patients die of heart attacks or stroke.

TYPES OF DIABETES?

The most common types of diabetes are: Type 1 and Type 2

Type 1 diabetes is also called insulin dependent diabetes. It is a process whereby insulin pancreas is producing or releasing little or no insulin at all. Various factors may cause this.

1.Inheritance (genetic)

2.Autoimmunity (the body becomes allergic to one of its own tissues or types of cells-in this case ,in the pancreas)

3.Environmental (viral or chemical).It is possible that viral infections and other factors result in damage to islet cells (the groups of cells within the pancreas were the insulin is made).As more and more islet cells are destroyed, the person moves closer to having diabetes.

SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES

1Frequent urination

2.Extreme thirst

3.Frequent hunger: The body is hungry for the energy it isn’t getting.

4.Weight Loss: When the body can’t get sugar into its cells , it burns its own fat and protein for energy, resulting in weight loss.

5.Feeling shaky

6.sweaty and tired

7.Rapid heartbeat

8.Blurred vision

9.Headaches

10.Numbness or tingling around the mouth and lips.

TYPE 2 DIABETES

It is a condition in which the body is not producing enough insulin or is not using it efficiently. It used to be called non-insulin dependent or adult-onset diabetes. But it is becoming more common in children and teens over the past two decades, largely because more young people are over weight or obese.

Type 2 diabetes is often milder than Type 1 But it can still cause major health complications, especially in the tiny blood vessels in kidneys, nerves and eyes. Type 2 also raises risk of heart disease and stroke.

However, there is hereditary component to this illness and it is often worsened by improper diet or over weight people who are obese -more than 20% over this target body weight for their height have an especially high risk of Type 2 diabetes and the health problems that can follow. Obesity often causes insulin resistance. So your pancreas has to work harder to make more insulin. But it is still not enough to keep your blood sugar levels where they should be

PREVENTION AND TREATMENT

1.Have your level of blood sugar Tested:

If you are in a high risk group. A medical disorder known as prediabetes – a condition in which blood sugar is moderately higher than normal-often precede Type 2 diabetes. Both conditions are unhealthy, but there is a difference. Although diabetes can be controlled, it cannot yet be cured. On the other hand, some prediabetics have been able to bring their blood sugar back to normal levels . prediabeties may have no obvious symptoms. Hence, this condition may go unnoticed. Therefore if you are over weight, not physically active,or have a family history of diabetes, you might already have prediabeties. A blood test can tell you if you do.

2 Choose Healthful Food: You might benefit if you do the following whenever. It is possible and practical. Eat smaller portions than usual. Instead of sugar fruit juice and carbonated beverages, drink water, tea, or coffee .Eat whole grain bread, rice, plantain in moderation, rather than refined or junk foods. Eat fish, nuts and beans.

3 Stay Physically Active: Exercise can lower your blood sugar and help you maintain healthy weight. Swap some TV time for exercise time, recommends one expert. You cannot change your genes but you can change your lifestyle. Doing what we can to improve our health is worth the effort.

Treatment

The main medication for managing Type 1 diabetes is insulin

Metformin is a key medication for Type 2 that people take in pill form or liquid. It helps reduce blood sugar and make insulin more effective, as well as assisting weight loss, which can also reduce the effects of diabetes.

Other oral medications can also help reduce blood glucose in people with Type 2 diabetes, such as:

Alpha – glucosidase inhibitors, such as acarbose and miglitol , which slow the breakdown of starches into glucose after a meal and slows down the increase in blood sugar levels.

Biguanides, including metformin, which reduce the production of glucose in the liver and make muscle tissue more sensitive to insulin to improve the