Diabetes - An Introduction to Diabetes

All forms of diabetes are characterized by a long-term excess of blood glucose, but the condition is no longer the deadly threat it used to be. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, doctors did not understand how to treat diabetes and most patients eventually died from the disease. Too much glucose has numerous ill effects on the body, including declining kidney function and slow wound healing as well as the possibility of a coma. Fortunately, monitoring and managing diabetes is now simpler than ever.

Diabetes occurs from either the body's ineffective use of insulin or its failure to produce sufficient insulin. Type 1 diabetes results from the pancreas' islet cells failing to produce sufficient insulin to permit blood glucose to enter the cells and be used as energy. Type 2 diabetes is termed insulin-resistant diabetes, since cellular resistance to insulin's action allows excess glucose to stay in the blood.

But though they're not completely known, experts agree that the causes of the different types of diabetes are generally a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental or lifestyle factors. In some cases, one or the other may dominate. Gestational diabetes, for example, affects about 3% of pregnant women usually from around 24-28 weeks into term. But it goes away after birth. Type 1, on the other hand, affects mostly juveniles and is largely genetic.

In all cases, the symptoms are usually roughly the same: excessively frequent urination, unquenchable thirst, sometimes accompanied by dizziness or stomach pains. Naturally, these common symptoms can have a number of causes. Anyone suspecting he or she has diabetes should be tested by a physician.

A simple blood test is all that is needed to determine if you have diabetes. Normal blood glucose should be close to 99 mg/dL. A glucose level of 126 mg/dL or higher indicates diabetes. Doctors may double check a high glucose level with a second test before diagnosing diabetes.

Once confirmed, regular blood glucose monitoring is a must. Fortunately, there are today many convenient ways to do that. Testing devices the size of a cell phone are common. A small sample of blood is smeared on a strip fed into the instrument, which delivers a number within seconds. Some recent devices measure glucose level through the skin using an infrared beam.

Though diabetes is still a serious disease, diabetes management is easier today than ever before. Most people with diabetes can ward off serious complications through a proper treatment routine. Diabetes is no longer the disabling problem it was in the past; now diabetics can enjoy the same long, active lives that everyone else does.

Though no one wants to have to deal with diabetes, managing the disease is now easier than ever. The possible long term complications of untreated diabetes remain what they always were. By keeping them at bay with simple techniques, most diabetics can enjoy an active fulfilling life just as anyone else.

Article by: JuliaHanf | Total views: 14 | Word Count: 492

About the Author

Julia Hanf author of the book How To Play the Diabetes Diet Game and Win Through a real life crisis Julia figured out how to live diabetes free. Visit http://www.yourdiabetescure.com and learn more about your solution for diabetes.