Diabetes is not contagious. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Diabetes means a disease where people have too much sugar in their blood. Diabetes mellitus is a disease where people have too much glucose (a kind of sugar) in the blood. Diabetes is likely to be underreported as the underlying cause of death on death certificates. About 65 percent of deaths among those with diabetes are attributed to heart disease and stroke. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles. There are 20.8 million children in the United States, or 7% of the population, who have diabetes. The three main types of diabetes are type 1 diabetes , type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use sugar. Sugar is the basic fuel for the cells in the body, and insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells.

Type-2 diabetes accounts for more than 90% of all diabetes worldwide. Type 2 diabetes usually occurs gradually. Diabetes mellitus type 2 is often associated with obesity and hypertension and elevated cholesterol , and with the condition Metabolic syndrome. People develop type 2 diabetes because the cells in the muscles, liver, and fat do not use insulin properly. It is also associated with acromegaly, Cushing’s syndrome and a number of other endocrinological disorders. About 90–95% of all North American cases of diabetes are type 2, and about 20% of the population over the age of 65 has diabetes mellitus type 2. The fraction of type 2 diabetics in other parts of the world varies substantially, almost certainly for environmental and lifestyle reasons, though these are not known in detail. Family history and genetics play a large role in type 2 diabetes. Low activity level, poor diet, and excess body weight (especially around the waist) significantly increase your risk for type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is more prevalent among Hispanics, Native Americans, African Americans, and Asians/Pacific Islanders than in non-Hispanic whites. Type-2 diabetes is a lifelong illness, which generally starts in middle age or later part of life, but can start at any age. People who are overweight and inactive are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes doesn’t develop overnight. It usually begins with insulin resistance, where the body’s cells can’t use insulin properly. Glucose builds up in the bloodstream. The pancreas keeps on producing insulin to try and get the blood glucose level down. Over time the pancreas loses its ability to secrete insulin. This can sometimes result in the person with type 2 diabetes having to inject insulin every day. Obesity, aging, and lack of exercise can all play a role in developing insulin resistance and heightening the risk for diabetes. Treatment for type 2 diabetes is a lifelong commitment of blood sugar monitoring, healthy eating, regular exercise and, sometimes, diabetes medications or insulin therapy.

Prevent Type 2 Diabetes Tips

1. Type 2 is initially treated by adjustment in diet and exercise, and weight loss.

2. Meal planning includes choosing healthy foods, eating the right amount of food, and eating meals at the right time.

3. Regular exercise helps control the amount of glucose in the blood. It also helps burn excess calories and fat so you can manage your weight.

4. Exercise improves overall health by improving blood flow and blood pressure.

5. Oral sulfonylureas (like glimepiride, glyburide, and tolazamide) trigger the pancreas to make more insulin.

6. Biguanides (Metformin) tell the liver to decrease its production of glucose, which increases glucose levels in the blood stream.

7. Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (such as acarbose) decrease the absorption of carbohydrates from the digestive tract, thereby lowering the after-meal glucose levels.

8. Thiazolidinediones (such as rosiglitazone) help insulin work better at the cell site.

9. Wear a diabetes identification bracelet and carry change or a cell phone for a phone call in case of emergency.

10. Drink extra fluids that do not contain sugar before, during, and after exercise.

11. Protect feet with comfortable, well-fitting shoes.

12. Stop smoking because it worsens blood flow to the feet.



Thanks to Juliet Cohen for contributing this article to our Diabetes blog:

Diabetes Diets

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder with abnormally high blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) as its most prominent feature. During intestinal digestion, carbohydrates and protein are broken down into simple sugars and amino acids, respectively. The liver converts all of the sugars and some of the amino acids into glucose, simple sugar that is used for energy by every cell in the body. Glucose passes from the bloodstream into the cells with the help of insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas (a pear-shaped organ located just below the stomach). By attaching to receptor sites on the surface membrane of a cell, insulin promotes the movement of glucose transport proteins from the interior of the cell to its surface, where they bind with glucose and carry it into the cell. In diabetes mellitus, several problems may interfere with this process: pancreatic insulin production may be partially or completely impaired, or body cells may become unable to respond to normal amounts of insulin efficiently.

These underlying problems in fact distinguish the two main types of the diabetes. In type 1 diabetes mellitus. Also known as juvenile diabetes, the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Type 1 diabetes develops suddenly and most commonly affects those under age 30; the average age onset is between 12 and 14. However, type 1 diabetes accounts for only about 5 percent of cases of diabetes mellitus. In the much more common type 2 diabetes mellitus, also known as adult onset diabetes, insulin production by the pancreas is only moderately reduced, but cells are unable to respond efficiently to insulin-a condition referred to as insulin resistance. The onset of type 2 diabetes is usually gradual and tends to affect people over age 40, particularly those who are overweight. Infrequently, and adult may develop type 1 diabetes.

In both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, the hyperglycemia leads to excretion of glucose in the urine and an accompanying increase in urine production. If inadequate amounts of insulin are administered to patients with type 1 diabetes, unrestrained release of fatty acids from adipose (fat) tissue leads to the overproduction of ketone bodies in the liver. Accumulation of ketone bodies can cause a life threatening condition known as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). DKA may occasionally affect those with type 2 diabetes in periods when the body is highly stressed, for example during a severe infection.

Continued in Diabetes - Prevention And Cure part 2 just click the link below:

http://www.curewithinoneminute.com



Thanks to john daniel for contributing this article to our Diabetes blog:

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Diabetes is widely considered a chronic illness during childhood. They attack the children at any age, including preschool children and even toddlers. Al if so, diabetes among children is often diagnosed late, when the child is diabetic ketoacidosis (ACD), or it is totally wrong.

In many parts of the world, insulin, the main life-saving medicines that children with diabetes need to survive, is not available (or is available but unused for reasons of economy, Geography or restrictions on supply). Consequently, many children are dying of diabetes, particularly in countries with low and medium income. The closest to the child as the family, school staff, family physician, May no knowledge of the first indications.

The World Diabetes Day 2007 and 2008 campaigns wanted this challenge and deeply the message that “no child should die of diabetes.” Today, beyond 240 million people worldwide are suffering from diabetes. Inside the next 20 years, this number is expected to advance to 380 million dollars. The children are not safe from this global epidemic, with its untenable and potentially fatal complications.

Type 1 diabetes is increasing by 3% per year among children and adolescents, and a fear of 5% per year among children of preschool age. An estimated 70000 children under 15 years is struck by type 1 diabetes each year (nearly 200 children per day). Of the approximately 440000 cases of Type 1 diabetes among children worldwide, more than a quarter live in Southeast Asia, and more than a fifth in Europe.

Type 2 diabetes was once seen as a disease of adults. Today, this type of diabetes is shocking to move rates among children and adolescents. In the USA, it is estimated that type 2 diabetes covers between 8 and 45% of new cases of diabetes in children by geographic region.

Over a period of 20 years, type 2 diabetes has doubled among children in Japan and accordingly, it is more common than type 1. In the indigenous and children in North America and Australia, the incidence rate of type 2 diabetes ranges from 1.3 to 5.3%.

Diabetes has an effect on children and their families. The daily life of children is thwarted by the need to control blood sugar, be subjected to drugs, and balance the impact of the activity and food. Diabetes can disrupt the normal development needs of childhood and adolescence, which include succeed in school and mature into adulthood.

To help children and families cope, and make sure that the best possible physical and emotional health of the child is there, care should be provided by a multidisciplinary team with a good awareness on issues Pediatrics. Back-up must also be given to care and school staff.

In this way, children with type 1 or type 2 diabetes can enter adulthood with the least possible negative effect on their well-being. For children with diabetes in developing countries the condition at present is bad.

The 2007 campaign aims to raise awareness of the high prevalence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes among children and adolescents. Early diagnosis and education are of paramount importance in reducing complications and save lives.

The health care community, educators, parents and guardians must combine effectively to help children living with diabetes, preventing the state of people at risk, and remove the unnecessary death and disability.



Thanks to Jack Stanley for contributing this article to our Diabetes blog:

Management Of Diabetes Mellitus

Can you answer Vena Cava’s question about Diabetes?:

THey don’t have any insulin. So I was curious if its even physically possible for them to ever become hypoglycemic. If so in what instances?

Managing Hypoglycemia

According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 21 million people in the United States have diabetes. The primary cause of diabetes is an excessive amount of blood sugar in the body, combined with the body’s inability to use all of the sugar as a source of energy. In a normal scenario, the body takes the sugar that you eat and turns it into a simple sugar called glucose. The glucose circulates in your blood to give you energy. In a patient with diabetes, there is excessive blood sugar and the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin (which helps deliver glucose to your cells) to handle all of the sugar. The two main classifications of diabetes are type 1 and type 2.

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is generally a genetic disease passed on through generations of a family. It can affect children and adults alike, but most often begins in childhood and is carried through adulthood. The body produces only a small amount of insulin, if any at all. Eating excessive amounts of sugar can worsen the natural disruption caused by this specific classification.

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes often occurs because of a poor diet combined with lack of exercise. This classification most often occurs in adults over the age of 35, but the number of children getting this disease is rising because of poor food choices and lack of physical activity. A handful of people who contract type 2 diabetes are predisposed to it because of genetics.

Gestational Diabetes

Pregnant women sometimes experience a brief interaction with diabetes during pregnancy. This is called gestational diabetes. It happens in the second trimester and, in most cases, disappears after the baby is born. It is very important for a woman to keep in close contact with her obstetrician when this disease occurs. Gestational diabetes puts an expectant mother at higher risk for developing permanent type 2 diabetes. The risk for gestational diabetes in future pregnancies is higher, as well. The cause of gestational diabetes is not completely known, but there is a theory. Hormones from the placenta may be blocking the insulin that is being produced, causing the insulin not to be able to do its job properly.

What Are the Symptoms?

Symptoms of diabetes can be unnoticeable or mild in the early stages. Often, diabetes is not diagnosed until blood tests confirm the results. Symptoms of diabetes might include one or more of the following:

* Frequent urination

* Excessive thirst

* Nausea

* Blurred vision

* Fatigue

* Excessive weight loss, even if eating a normal amount of food

* Tingling of the hands and/or feet

* Ulcers (skin sores) that do not heal

* Acquiring frequent infections

When to Seek Professional Help

If you experience any of the symptoms listed above, you should contact your physician as soon as possible. Even if you do not have diabetes, these can be symptomatic of other potential diseases. You should have blood tests performed on a regular basis if diabetes runs in your family. Sugar levels are something that doctors check on a yearly basis, so getting a regular physical is something everyone should do.

What Is the Treatment?

Unfortunately, there are no known cures for diabetes. It can only be treated by keeping blood sugar low through proper diet and medication. A healthy diet and regular exercise are the primary things that you can control in dealing with diabetes. Diabetes medications are often in the form of pills (usually for type 2 diabetes) or insulin injections (commonly used for type 1 diabetes). Your doctor will develop the plan that works best for you, as diabetes treatment needs to be tailored to the individual. If left untreated, diabetes can result in the following complications:



Thanks to Lee Wharton for contributing this article to our Diabetes blog:

Blood Glucose Monitoring System