Diabetes is the condition in which the body does not properly process food for use as energy. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin that facilitates the transportation of glucose from the blood stream into organs and muscles where it serves as the main energy source.
There are two main types of diabetes. In Type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin. In Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes, either the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the body’s cells develop a resistance to insulin.
NOTE: Not all signs and symptoms may be present, and for Type 2 diabetes, persons can appear to be asymptomatic.
NOTE: Not all signs and symptoms may be present, and for Type 2 diabetes, persons can appear to be asymptomatic.
Certain factors can put you at an increased risk for developing diabetes such as the following:
In Type 1 diabetes, there is no specific known prevention. To help prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends the following:
Treatment depends on the type of diabetes mellitus and varies for each individual. The main goal with diabetes treatment is to restore normal blood glucose levels with insulin for Type 1 diabetes, and with a combination of physical activity, dieting and oral medications with or without insulin for Type 2 diabetes.
There are both short-term and long-term complications that can arise. Short-term complications, associated mostly with Type 1 diabetes, include the following:
Long-term effects of unmanaged diabetes in both Type 1 and Type 2 can cause serious health issues including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations. According to the CDC reports in 2011, diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
Working together, people with diabetes, their support network, and their health care providers can reduce the occurrence of these and other diabetes complications by controlling the levels of blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood lipids, and by receiving other preventive care practices in a timely manner.