What is Diabetes
What is Diabetes
The main source of energy for the body is blood glucose, also called blood sugar. A person with diabetes has high blood glucose levels, also known as blood sugar. The hormone insulin helps the body use glucose from food for energy. Sometimes, your body doesn’t produce enough insulin or doesn’t use it well, so glucose stays in your blood instead of reaching your cells for use. The presence of too much glucose in the blood can cause health problems over time. Although there is no cure for diabetes, you can manage your condition and remain healthy. There are times when people call diabetes “a touch of sugar” or “borderline diabetes.” These terms tend to suggest that a person doesn’t really have diabetes or that a person has a less serious case of the disease. However, all cases of diabetes are serious.
Diabetes comes in different types, what are they?
Among the most common types of diabetes are type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes
A person with type 1 diabetes does not produce insulin because their immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in their pancreas. Diabetes type 1 patients require insulin to survive. The disease usually develops in children and young adults, although it can appear at any age.
Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes affects your body’s ability to make and use insulin. The most common form of diabetes, type 2 can occur at any age, but it occurs most frequently in people who are middle-aged or older.
Gestational diabetes
Some women develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy. This type of diabetes usually disappears after birth. However, if you develop type 2 diabetes later in life, you are more likely to have gestational diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can sometimes be diagnosed during pregnancy.
Other types of diabetes
Diabetes caused by cystic fibrosis and monogenic diabetes are less common types.
Type 2 diabetes is more likely to occur in who?
A number of factors are associated with the development of type 2 diabetes, including age, family history, weight, physical inactivity, race, and certain health conditions. A number of factors are associated with the development of type 2 diabetes, including age, family history, weight, physical inactivity, race, and certain health conditions.
People with diabetes can develop what types of health problems?
Blood glucose problems can develop over time, including
- heart disease
- stroke
- kidney disease
- eye problems
- dental disease
- nerve damage
- foot problems