Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic (long-term) disease that affects how quickly your body makes food. There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy). More than 122 million Americans live with diabetes (37.3 million) or prediabetes (96 million). With diabetes, your body can't make enough insulin or use it properly.

Most of the food you eat is broken down into sugar (also called glucose) and released into the bloodstream. When blood sugar rises, it will signal the pancreas to release insulin. Insulin acts as the key to getting blood sugar into your body's cells to be used as energy. If you have diabetes, your body may not be able to make enough insulin or may not be able to use the insulin it has. If there is not enough insulin or the cells stop responding to insulin, excess blood sugar will remain in your blood. Over time, this can lead to serious health problems such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease. There is no cure for diabetes yet, but losing weight, eating healthy and being active can really help. Taking medications as needed, diabetes self-management education and support, and keeping your doctor's appointments can also reduce the impact of diabetes on your life

What health problems can people with diabetes have?

Over time, high blood glucose leads to problems such as:

• heart disease

• stroke

• kidney

• disease

• eve problem

• toothache

• nerve damage

• foot problems

Types of diabetes

Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a metabolic disease that causes high blood sugar levels. The hormone insulin moves sugar from the blood into the cells, where it is stored or used for energy. With diabetes, your body may not be able to make enough insulin, or it may not be able to effectively use the insulin it does produce. Untreated high blood sugar in diabetes can damage your arteries, eyes, kidneys, and other organs.

There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy)

Type 1

diabetes is an autoimmune disease. The immune system attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas where insulin is made. It is unclear what caused the attack. About 10 percent of people with diabetes have this type.Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body mistakenly attacks itself) that prevents your body from producing insulin. About 5-10% of people with diabetes have type 1. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes often develop quickly.It is most often diagnosed in children, adolescents and young adults. If you have type 1 diabetes, you need to take insulin every day to survive. Currently, no one knows how to prevent type 1 diabetes

Type 2

diabetes occurs when your body can no longer resist insulin and sugar enters the bloodstream. In type 2 diabetes, your body does not use insulin properly and cannot maintain blood sugar levels. About 90-95% of people with diabetes have type 2. It lasts for many years and is mostly diagnosed in adults (but increases in children, teens and young adults). You may not experience any symptoms, so it is important to check your blood sugar if you are at risk. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by making healthy lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, eating a healthy diet and being active. Pregnancy diabetes high blood sugar during pregnancy. This type of diabetes is caused by hormones that inhibit the insulin produced by the placenta.

Gestational diabetes

Develops in pregnant women who do not already have diabetes. If you have gestational diabetes, your baby may be at higher risk of health problems. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after the baby is born, but it increases the risk of type 2 diabetes later in life.Your child is more likely to be obese as a child or teenager and more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life. Prediabetes occurs when blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. In the United States, 96 million adults—more than 1 in 3—have prediabetes. Moreover, more than 8 out of 10 of them do not know they have it. In prediabetes, the blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not yet high enough to diagnose type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. The good news is that if you have prediabetes, a CDC-recognized lifestyle change program can help you take healthy steps to reverse it. A rare condition called diabetes insipidus is not related to diabetes mellitus, although it has the same name. This is another condition where your kidneys remove too much fluid from your body. Each type of diabetes has unique symptoms, causes, and treatments. Learn more about how these species differ from each other.

Causes of diabetes

Different factors are associated with each type of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes

Doctors don't know what causes type 1 diabetes. For some reason, the immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells that make insulin in the pancreas. For some people, genes may play a role. It is also possible that the virus causes an attack on the immune system.

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes comes from a combination of genetics and lifestyle factors. Being overweight or obese also increases your risk. Carrying too much weight, especially around your belly, makes your cells more resistant to insulin's effects on blood sugar. This situation runs in families. Family members have genes that make them more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and be overweight. 

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a result of hormonal changes during pregnancy. The placenta produces hormones that make pregnant women's cells less sensitive to the effects of insulin. It can cause high blood sugar during pregnancy. Women who were overweight when they were pregnant or who were overweight during pregnancy were more likely to develop gestational diabetes.

Causes of diabetes

Different factors are associated with each type of diabetes.

Type 1

Diabetes Doctors don't know what causes type 1 diabetes. For some reason, the immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells that make insulin in the pancreas. For some people, genes may play a role. It is also possible that the virus causes an attack on the immune system. 

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes comes from a combination of genetics and lifestyle factors. Being overweight or obese also increases your risk. Carrying too much weight, especially around your belly, makes your cells more resistant to insulin's effects on blood sugar. This situation runs in families. Family members have genes that make them more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and be overweight. 

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a result of hormonal changes during pregnancy. The placenta produces hormones that make pregnant women's cells less sensitive to the effects of insulin. It can cause high blood sugar during pregnancy. Women who were overweight when they were pregnant or who were overweight during pregnancy were more likely to develop gestational diabetes.

Diabetes risk factors

Several factors increase the risk of diabetes.

Type 1

diabetes You are more likely to get type 1 diabetes if you are a child or teenager, if you have a parent or sibling who has the disease, or if you have certain genes linked to the disease.

Type 2 diabetes

• Your risk of type 2 diabetes increases if you:

• are overweight 

• age 45 or older

• have a parent or sibling with the disease

• not physically active

• gestational diabetes

• have prediabetes 

• you have high blood pressure,

• high cholesterol or high triglycerides

gestational diabetes

Your risk of gestational diabetes increases if you:

• overweight

• older than 25 years

• she had gestational diabetes in previous pregnancies

• she gave birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds

• have a family history of type 2 diabetes

• you suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Complications of diabetes

High blood sugar can damage your body's organs and tissues. The higher the blood sugar level and the longer you live, the greater the risk of complications.

Complications associated with diabetes include:

• heart disease, heart attack and stroke

• neuropathy

• nephropathy

• retinopathy and vision loss

• hearing loss

• leg injuries such as infections and injuries that are not good

• skin conditions such as bacterial and fungal infections 

• Depression

• dementia

• gestational diabetes

Uncontrolled gestational diabetes can lead to problems that affect both mother and baby. Complications that can affect the baby include:

• premature delivery

• higher than normal birth weight 

• increased risk of type 2 diabetes later in life

• low blood sugar

• jaundice

• stillborn

The mother may develop complications such as high blood pressure (preeclampsia) or type 2 diabetes. He may also need a caesarean section, 

Treatment of diabetes

Doctors treat diabetes with a number of different drugs. Some of these drugs are taken by mouth, while others can be given by injection. Type 1 diabetes Insulin is the primary treatment for type 1 diabetes. It replaces hormones that your body cannot produce. There are four types of insulin that are commonly used. They differ in how quickly they start to work and how long their effects last: Rapid-acting insulin starts working within 15 minutes and its effect lasts for 3 to 4 hours. Short-acting insulin starts working within 30 minutes and lasts 6 to 8 hours. Intermediate-acting insulin starts working within 1 to 2 hours and lasts 12 to 18 hours. Long-acting insulin starts working a few hours after injection and lasts for 24 hours or more. Type 2 diabetes Diet and exercise can help some people manage type 2 diabetes. If lifestyle changes are not enough to lower your blood sugar, you should take medication.

Pregnancy diabetes

You should check your blood sugar levels several times a day during pregnancy. If it's high, diet and exercise changes may or may not be enough to lower it. According to the Mayo Clinic, about 10 to 20 percent of women with gestational diabetes need insulin to lower their blood sugar. Insulin is safe for a growing baby.