Hello there, hope you had a
restful weekend? Today, we'd be talking a little more about this disease called
'DIABETES'. We'll be answering the following questions:
What are the different types
of diabetes?
What is type 1 diabetes?
What is type 2 diabetes?
Does it affect other parts of
the body?
Types of Diabetes
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
are the most common forms of the disease, but there are also other kinds, such
as gestational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy, as well as other forms.
What is Type 1 Diabetes?
The more severe form of
diabetes is type 1, or insulin-dependent diabetes. It’s
sometimes called “juvenile” diabetes, because
type 1 diabetes usually develops in children and teenagers, though it can
develop at any age.
Immune System Attacks
With type 1 diabetes, the
body’s immune system attacks part of its own pancreas.
Scientists are not sure why. But the immune system mistakenly sees the
insulin-producing cells in the pancreas as foreign, and destroys them. This
attack is known as "autoimmune" disease.
These cells –
called “islets” (pronounced
EYE-lets) – are the ones that sense glucose in the blood and, in
response, produce the necessary amount of insulin to normalize blood sugars.
Insulin serves as a “key”
to open your cells, to allow the glucose to enter -- and allow you to use the
glucose for energy.
Without insulin, there is no “key.”
So, the sugar stays -- and builds up-- in the blood. The result: the body’s
cells starve from the lack of glucose.
And, if left untreated, the
high level of “blood sugar” can damage eyes,
kidneys, nerves, and the heart, and can also lead to coma and death.
Insulin Therapy
So, a person with type 1
treats the disease by taking insulin injections.
This outside source of
insulin now serves as the “key”
-- bringing glucose to the body’s cells.
The challenge with this
treatment is that it’s often not possible to know precisely how much
insulin to take. The amount is based on many factors, including:
Food
Exercise
Stress
Emotions and general health
Balancing Act
These factors fluctuate
greatly throughout every day. So, deciding on what dose of insulin to take is a
complicated balancing act.
If you take too much, then
your body burns too much glucose -- and your blood sugar can drop to a dangerously
low level. This is a condition called hypoglycemia, which, if untreated, can be
potentially life-threatening.
If you take too little
insulin, your body can again be starved of the energy it needs, and your blood
sugar can rise to a dangerously high level -- a condition called hyperglycemia.
This also increases the chance of long-term complications.
What is Type 2
Diabetes?
The most common form of
diabetes is called type 2, or non-insulin dependent diabetes.
This is also called “adult
onset” diabetes, since it typically develops after age 35.
However, a growing number of younger people are now developing type 2
diabetes.
People with type 2 are able
to produce some of their own insulin. Often, it’s
not enough. And sometimes, the insulin will try to serve as the “key”
to open the body’s cells, to allow the glucose to enter. But the key
won’t work. The cells won’t
open. This is called insulin resistance.
Often, type 2 is tied to
people who are overweight, with a sedentary lifestyle.
Treatment focuses on diet and
exercise. If blood sugar levels are still high, oral medications are used to
help the body use its own insulin more efficiently. In some cases, insulin
injections are necessary.
It is a leading cause of
blindness, kidney failure, amputations, heart failure and stroke.
Culled from:
Diabetes Research Institute
Foundation.
5th Avenue, 52Road junction, Gowon Estate,
Ipaja, Lagos. 23401 Nigeria Ipaja Lagos Nigeria
Ipaja, Lagos. 23401 Nigeria Ipaja Lagos Nigeria
+(234)08023796808
08191437788 www. doroeyeclinic.com
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