What Is Diabetes? - An Overview
Posted: Saturday, December 26, 2009
by Henry Fong
Feng Shui Absolutely
What is diabetes? This is a frequently asked question that most often refers to the 3 types of diab
Type 1 diabetes occurs in about 5-10% of children and young adults in the US every year. It is caused by an auto-immune disorder. The beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin comes under attack by the immune system. When this occurs the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin for the body.
Most cases of Type 1 diabetes have a sudden occurance of symptoms which include extreme thirst, frequent urination, extreme hunger, weight loss, blurred vision, and/or extreme fatigue. When there is no medical treatment for this condition it can result in diabetic ketoacidosis, or diabetic coma. This is a serious and life-threatening condition when it is not treated.
Type 2 diabetes occurs in over 95% of adults over 35 in the US according to the Natl. Inst. Of Health. Eighty percent of the people who have Type 2 diabetes are overweight. A person with Type 2 diabetes does not get the insulin they need because their cells become resistant to it.
Obesity, lack of exercise, some ethnicity's, and age are just a few of the causes for Type 2 diabetes. It is also caused by genetics, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The greatest cause of Type 2 diabetes is unhealthy eating habits. People who do not eat properly and have daily exercise are highly susceptible to Type 2 diabetes.
When an individual develops Type 2 diabetes the symptoms will occur gradually over a long period of time. They will have fatigue, increased thirty, hunger, slow healing of wounds and sores, blurred vision, and frequent urination.
Most of the time if a person changes their lifestyle, loses weight, and begins to exercise, they will be able to resolve their Type 2 diabetes. In some cases people must continue medication for the diabetes, but this rarely occurs.
Gestational diabetes occurs in three to eight percent of women in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy and go away after the delivery of the baby. In most cases these women will be instructed on proper diet and exercise to keep the diabetes under control during pregnancy.
Women who have had gestational diabetes have about a 40% risk of developing Type 2 diabetes when they are older. Therefore, it is important that they maintain a healthy lifestyle throughout their lives. When a woman has gestation diabetes with a pregnancy, she will normally develop the diabetes with following pregnancies.
Kenn Fong, writer. To find out more on Diabetes Statistics, visit his web site The Diabetes Scoop.
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