By: Nitya Ramireddy
Diabetes is a problem that affects millions of people in the country today. Although new statistics have shown an overall decrease over this past decade, 34.2 million Americans-- or 1 in 10 Americans -- still struggle with diabetes. So what is diabetes, what should you do to prevent it, and what are the treatments?
Diabetes is a chronic disease caused by a high amount of blood glucose. Glucose, or blood sugar, comes from what we consume, and it is our main source of energy.
There are two types: type one and type two. Type one diabetes is a condition in which your pancreas, an organ located in the abdomen, does not produce enough insulin, which is the hormone that regulates the metabolism of carbs, proteins, and fats. Our bodies need insulin to regulate the amount of glucose. Type one diabetes can be diagnosed in people of all ages, but, in America, is usually diagnosed at an early age. In type two diabetes, your body either doesn't make enough insulin or does not use / respond to the insulin correctly, therefore causing high blood sugar levels. This can also be diagnosed at any age, but usually happens to older people. There are other types of diabetes, such as gestational diabetes, monogenic diabetes, and cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, but type one and type two are the most common.
Can diabetes be prevented? Type one diabetes is the result of someone’s immune system attacking insulin producing cells in the pancreas, not allowing the pancreas to produce insulin, and in most cases, it is genetic. However, in more rare cases, type one can be caused by other environmental factors including virus exposure or geography. Type two, on the other hand, is usually caused by obesity, but can also be the result of genetics, broken beta cells, age, or too much liver glucose. Type two diabetes can be prevented by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, especially as you get older.
Diabetes affects many different organs of the body, and causes problems beyond not getting the right amount of insulin. Symptoms, for both types, include urinating too often, being thirsty or hungry often, randomly losing weight, blurry vision, dry skin, fatigue, or a tingling sensation in your hands and feet. Severe cases of diabetes also dramatically increases the risk of heart-related problems, such as stroke, heart attack, nerve damage, etc.
Patients usually use insulin injections to treat diabetes, and there are different types: quick-acting, intermediate acting, or long acting. You can track how much and how often your body is demanding by checking your own blood sugars levels with a glucometer and working with your doctor.
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