Diabetes - A Disease Of The Modern Age

By: Trevor Dace

There are two major types of diabetes – Type 1 and Type 2, and they are completely different in cause and treatment regime. There also exists a type of diabetes called gestational diabetes that only affects pregnant women.

To understand diabetes, we must first appreciate the role that insulin plays in our body. When we eat or drink fructose, glucose or carbohydrates, our body breaks them down into glucose within the blood stream. In order to utilise the glucose for energy, our 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 levels correctly. It is frequently referred to as juvenile diabetes or insulin dependent diabetes, and it usually occurs in people under the age of 30.

The condition comes on quite quickly and is characterised by unquenchable thirst brought on by a surplus of glucose in the blood stream. This also results in frequent urination, another symptom. It is a chronic condition – that is, it is a lifelong condition. It appears that the pancreatic cells that normally produce the insulin could have been damaged or destroyed by the body's own immune system.

Those suffering from Type 1 diabetes make up around 5-10% of those with diabetes and it is treated by introducing insulin either by drip feed or more normally by regular injection. 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 newly introduced cells are able to produce insulin and patients in the medical trial have reported greatly reduced need for insulin injection. The hope is that the injections may one day be completely eliminated through the use of transplants of islet cells.

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

Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90-95% of diabetes cases. Sufferers from type 2 diabetes can produce insulin, but their cell receptors have become resistant to insulin. Thus, their body has to produce ever increasing amounts of insulin to be able to 'unlock' the cells so that they can extract the glucose from the blood stream. Eventually, these sufferers get to the point where they cannot produce enough insulin to reduce the sugar levels in their body.

The disease affects 15-20% of people over the age of 60. A substantial number of adults remain undiagnosed as diabetes sufferers. It is normally discovered during a doctor's check-up following complaints of problems such as chest, urinary of skin infections.

Type 2 diabetes can be managed through diet control and weight reduction or with prescription medicines. Although there is a definite genetic link to the disease in 80% of cases, it is brought about by being overweight, a lack of exercise and pursuing a diet full of high glycaemic index carbohydrates (white rice, white bread, sugar and fruit).Weight management, exercise and an eating regime low in fructose, sugars and processed carbohydrates are recognised as important techniques when trying to avoid the disease.

Many members of the medical profession are expressing alarm at the recent trend of children being found suffering from Type 2 diabetes. This is thought to be due to the prevalence of overweight children, combined with the shortage of exercise taken by overweight children and the foods they eat that are high in sugar and carbohydrates with a high glycaemic index.

About 4% of pregnant women are diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Most of them recover from this form of diabetes after giving birth, but it does appear to indicate an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in their lives.

The most common sign of diabetes is unquenchable thirst and subsequent regular urination. Other symptoms include dizziness, unexplained weight loss, constant fatigue, itching and leg pains walking.

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

- twice the rate of heart disease compared to non-sufferers

- five times more likely to have a stroke

- the most frequent need for amputation of limbs outside of accidents

- blindness; of the new cases of blindness in people from age 24 to 74, diabetes is the leading cause

- the major cause of end-stage renal disease and over 33% of new cases of kidney disease.

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

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

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 diet and weight loss.

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