Diabetes

What are the symptoms of diabetes? The symptoms of diabetes can range from not serious to life-threatening. Symptoms for type 1 diabetes are: increased thirst, increased urination, hunger, loss of weight, fatigue, and blurred vision. Symptoms for type 2 diabetes are: increased thirst, increased urination, hunger, loss of weight, fatigue, decreased healing of infections, increased infections, areas of darker skin, and blurred vision.


How does a person develop this disease?

For type 1 diabetes, the immune system that fights dangerous viruses or bacteria, attacks the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas. These cells that produce insulin are destroyed. Insulin’s job is to decrease sugar concentrations in the bloodstream. But if the cells that produce insulin are destroyed, little can be done to maintain homeostasis in terms of glucose levels. Now sugar is able to build up in the bloodstream. High levels of glucose present in the blood can cause damage in various areas of the body. It is not sure exactly how type 1 diabetes is caused but it is thought to develop from environmental factors and the combination of genes. For type 2 diabetes, the cells in the body create a resistance to insulin. This means that the cells in the body do not respond that effectively to insulin. Now the pancreas has to increase insulin production to counteract this resistance to insulin. But the pancreas is not able to produce enough insulin for the body. This causes a buildup of sugar in the bloodstream. One of the main causes of type 2 diabetes is being overweight but still there are people that have type 2 diabetes and are not overweight.

What is Neuropathy, Erectile Dysfunction, Diabetic Retinopathy, Cataracts, and Glaucoma? Neuropathy is a type of damage to a nerve that can occur by having diabetes and it usually happens to the nerves that are in your feet and legs. Erectile Dysfunction is when the penis is unable to have an erection. Diabetic Retinopathy results in damage to the retina of the eye which occurs by having long-term diabetes. Cataracts happen when the crystalline lens of the eye becomes cloudy and decreases the amount of light going into the eye. Glaucoma is a disorder of the eye in which the optic nerve is damaged and progressively affects vision which later leads to blindness if it is not treated.

There are two medications that a diabetic takes to deal with this disease. The first one is Meglitinides and it increases insulin production by stimulating the pancreas which maintains glucose levels in the blood. Meglitinides are taken orally and it works quickly. Examples of Meglitinide medications are Repaglinide (Prandin) and Nateglinide (Starlix). They are normally taken before a meal. The disadvantages of Meglitinides are that they may cause low blood sugar, increase weight, and are taken three times a day. The second medication is insulin, which is injected into the fat under the skin to lower glucose levels by causing cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take glucose from the blood. This artificial insulin gives the body more support in regulating glucose levels in the blood. Insulin glargine (Lantus) is a long-acting medication that takes an hour to work and lasts 20 to 26 hours. Side effects of Lantus include dizziness, sweating, headaches, immediate changes in mood or behavior, hunger, and weakness.

If a family member has diabetes, one thing you can do to help them is to provide them healthy, nutritious food. You wouldn’t want a diabetic eating 10-packs of Twix bars. Help them to overcome their cravings for unhealthy foods. Also, try to motivate the person who has diabetes to exercise daily in a manner that does not create too much stress on their bodies but in the same time keeps their body in shape.

A surgery option for type 2 diabetic patients is to have a gastrointestinal bypass operation. It does not cure diabetes but rather controls it. In this operation, surgeons bypass the upper small intestine (the duodenum and jejunum) and this reverses most problems with blood glucose regulation. The reason why is because the bypass diverts the passage of nutrients from the upper intestine where an abnormal signal is usually produced in type 2 diabetic patients. The surgery option of a type 1 diabetic patient is to have a pancreas transplant so the body can receive a sufficient amount of insulin to regulate blood glucose levels. The negative part of having a pancreas transplant is that the patient has to stay on immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of their lives so the body does not reject the transplanted pancreas. It will be possible in the future to have a cure for diabetes. The reason why is because doctors know exactly what regulates blood glucose levels – insulin and glucagon. It is much easier to solve a problem when you know what you are working with. They just need to find a way to effectively put insulin in the body at the right time. They are just a step behind to find a cure for diabetes.

The differences between juvenile diabetes and adult onset diabetes is that juvenile diabetes is type 1 diabetes that occurs in younger people and adult onset diabetes is type 2 diabetes that occurs in older people. In juvenile diabetes, the body’s own immune system destroys the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas. Juvenile diabetics must inject insulin into their bodies in order to keep alive. In adult onset diabetes, the cells in the body create a resistance to insulin and does not respond effectively. Adult onset diabetes can manage their diabetes by exercising and keeping a healthy diet.
    

**Always take medical advice from your doctor, NOT from Internet sources. This is just for common knowledge.***


Bibliography
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