5 posts tagged “type 1 diabetes”

Juvenile Diabetes

For many years, Type 1 Diabetes has been referred to as Juvenile Diabetes. Most often, the people who are diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes are children and young adults. Insulin is a natural hormone found in your body that helps the body to convert sugar, starches, and other foods into the energy that is needed to sustain life. People are diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when their body fails to produce enough insulin to properly convert the intake of sugars and starches into energy.

Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease – a disease that results in the body’s failure to fight infections naturally. Autoimmune diseases cause the body to begin attacking its own cells. In Type 1 Diabetes, the cells that are attacked are the beta cells in the pancreas that produce the insulin that turns sugars and starches into the energy needed for your body to function properly.

Cause and Length of Illness

Though the cause of Type 1 Diabetes is unclear, there are several things that we do know about this disease. Type 1 Diabetes is a lifelong, yet often manageable disease. Lifestyle and genetics play a large role in the onset and diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes. It is not contagious like a cold; therefore Type 1 Diabetes cannot be passed from one person to another. Diabetes is not caused from eating sweets. One symptom of diabetes is that the body fails to produce the hormone that turns sugars and starches into energy – but consuming sugars and starches do not cause the disease.

What To Do if You Are Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes

If you are diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, the first thing that you should do is to avoid panicking. Type 1 Diabetes is a serious and lifelong illness, though in many cases it can be successfully managed with the proper care and diet. Maintaining your overall health is the first step to successfully managing diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes can sometimes lead to other, more serious health conditions – such as heart attack and stroke. While maintaining a healthy lifestyle may not prevent the onset of these other illnesses, it may increase the onset of the illnesses and can help to lessen the effects of these illnesses dramatically. Skin disorders can also be caused by diabetes; therefore, it is important to maintain a routine regimen of skin care that may help to delay or even avoid the onset of skin diseases associated with diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes could place you at a higher risk for contracting gum diseases and other mouth-related problems. It is important to maintain a proper oral hygiene regimen in order to reduce the risks of illnesses associated with the mouth. Proper eye care and early detection of problems can contribute to saving your sight. Blindness is often associated with diabetes. Nerve damage or poor blood flow associated with Type 1 Diabetes can cause a diabetic to develop many different types of foot problems. It is important that you follow some basic guidelines that will help you protect your feet and avoid the onset of foot-related problems.

Lifestyle choices can help or hinder your management of Type 1 Diabetes. It is very important that you maintain a healthy lifestyle, complete with a healthy diet, regular exercise, and proper hygiene. In that fashion, there are some things that you should completely avoid or limit.

Smoking is a habit that contributes to the deterioration of your health, especially if you have been diagnosed with a disease that already affects your health, such as Type 1 Diabetes. Smoking is definitely something that should be avoided – and is a good idea even if you have not been diagnosed with diabetes. While alcohol consumption should be limited, it is not completely necessary to avoid all consumption of alcohol. If your diabetes is under control and if you are free of any of the health problems associated with diabetes that can be made worse by alcohol consumption, such as nerve damage or high blood pressure, it is often okay to have the occasional social drink. Stress is also something that can contribute to increasing the affects of Type 1 Diabetes. While stress cannot always be avoided, it is essential to both your physical and your mental health to learn how to handle stress in a healthy manner.

Dr John Anne is an herbal specialist with years of experience and extensive research on Herbs and Alternative health. If you are looking for more useful information then  Read about Diabetes Causes at Diabetes Treatment Website.

Too Sweet for Diabetes

Sugar is part of a whole slew of meals. The carbohydrates that we eat are later on converted into sugar or glucose while it undergoes the processes inside our body. These sugars are what we use for energy.  However, there are really foods that are pure sugar or contain a lot it, which can cause the sugar level in our blood. When this sugar level increase, we may suffer diabetes and other ailments.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease resulting from the increase of blood sugar level above its normal values. The sugars in the blood are supposed to be transported to the cells of the body. But if a person has diabetes, the sugar build up in the blood. The build up of sugar is caused one of the following reasons: either the pancreas is not producing enough hormones called insulin that helps the glucose get into the cells or the body can not make use of the insulin as it is supposed to be.

Diabetes is a disease that exists not only on its own but could trigger a lot of complications and other diseases to surface. These diabetes complications include heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and amputations. It has become one of the major causes of death all over the world.

Symptoms of Diabetes

Like any other sickness, diabetes surface symptoms that should be monitored. These are physically manifested symptoms that could easily diagnosed so if anyone is suffering from the following, seeing a physician is recommended. Diabetes have the following signs: extreme hunger and thirst, excessive drying of the skin, unexplained weight loss, frequent urination, slow healing sores, tingling or numbness of hands or feet, sudden vision blurredness.

When the diabetes is insulin-dependent, other symptoms include nausea, vomiting or stomach pains.

Types of Diabetes

There are three kinds of diabetes that could be developed to specific age range or condition of people. Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or the type 1 diabetes is commonly developed among children while non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or the type 2 diabetes is developed among adults. There is also the kind of diabetes that only pregnant women can acquire. The gestational diabetes, though, is not permanent because it disappears as soon as the pregnancy is over; however, if it is not treated it can cause a threat to both the mother and the baby.

Type 2 diabetes is affected by old age, obesity, family history of the ailment, history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, lack of physical activities and race or ethnicity.

Causes of Diabetes

Though researchers have found out what are the things that causes the acquisition of diabetes, the determination of the exact causes of the disease is yet to be discovered. They say that the causes of type 1 and type 2 diabetes are different. Type 1 seemed to be developed from environmental triggers like unidentified virus that attacks the pancreas and causes it to malfunction in producing insulin.

Type 2 diabetes on the other hand is closely associated with being obese and regular physical activities can help prevent the development of which.

Therapies and Treatment for Diabetes

When a person has developed type 1 diabetes, his or her blood glucose levels should be closely monitored through regular glucose tests. Since most food intake contains sugar or substances that will later on be converted to sugar, it is necessary that the food to be eaten is also monitored or measured. Healthy diet, exercise and insulin injections are the basic treatments for type 1 diabetes. However, the insulin should be balanced with metabolism of the body in terms of physical activities and food intake.

Treatment for type 2 diabetes is almost the same with that of type 1. Blood glucose should also be closely monitored; however, some people are required to take some oral medications to avoid blood sugar to increase beyond normal parameters. Since this type of diabetes is not insulin-dependent, insulin injections are not required.

Dr John Anne is an ayurvedic doctor having years of experience in the field of Ayurveda and Alternative medicine. Read about Diabetes Symptoms at Diabetes Treatment website.

In medical parlance, this disease is known as "diabetes mellitus" - diabetes from the Greek word for siphon, to illustrate the excessive thirst and urination, which is characteristic of this condition, and mellitus from the Latin word for honey - as urine of a diabetic person contains sugar and is sweet.

Commonly, this disease is called diabetes.

There are many types of diabetes, but the three most common are:

1.    Type 1 diabetes

2.    Type 2 diabetes

3.    Gestational diabetes

1. Type 1 diabetes (also known as insulin dependent diabetes):

This is an autoimmune disease where the body's own immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. The pancreas then produces little or no insulin. It can appear at any age, although mostly under 30 (very often in childhood or during teens), and is caused by environmental factors such as viruses, diet or people genetically predisposed. This type of diabetes, is also known as juvenile-onset diabetes.
It is not really known what causes type 1 diabetes and it is not caused by eating too much sugar or sweets.

Symptoms of type 1 diabetes usually develop over a short period, although beta cell destruction can begin much earlier. Common symptoms include increased thirst and urination, constant hunger, weight loss, blurred vision, and extreme weakness. If not timely diagnosed and treated with insulin, a person with type 1 diabetes can go into life-threatening diabetic coma, also known as diabetic ketoacidosis.

2. Type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependent diabetes):

This is the most common form of diabetes, affecting 85-90% of all diagnosed people. It is also known as late-onset diabetes, and is characterised by insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency.

Type 2 diabetes is genetic in origin, but other factors such as excess weight, sedentary lifestyle, high blood pressure, ethnicity and faulty diet are its major risk factors. Symptoms may not show up for many years, and by the time they crop up, considerable harm may have been done to the body.

In this condition, the pancreas is usually producing enough insulin, but for reasons unknown, the body cannot use the insulin effectively – termed as insulin resistance. As a result, glucose builds up in the blood and the body cannot make proficient use of its main source of energy.

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes develop gradually. Symptoms include weakness, nausea, frequent urination, excess thirst, weight loss, blurred vision, frequent infections, and slow healing of wounds. Some people may show no symptoms.

Type 2  diabetes is a progressive, lifetime condition; and over time, it may be difficult to keep the blood glucose level in the target range. However, good diabetes care and management can prevent or delay the onset of complications.

One can do this by:

1.    Eating healthy meals and snacks

2.    Following regular physical activity

3.    Taking diabetes medications (including insulin), if prescribed.

3. Gestational diabetes:

Gestational diabetes develops only during pregnancy. In most cases, all diabetic symptoms disappear following delivery. Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 20 to 50 % chance of developing type 2 diabetes within 5 to 10 years, especially if they were overweight before the pregnancy.

Gestational diabetes is not caused by a lack of insulin, but by blocking effects of other hormones (estrogen, cortisol, and human placental lactogen) on the insulin that is produced, a condition referred to as insulin resistance. Normally, the pancreas is able to make additional insulin to overcome insulin resistance. However, when the production of insulin is not enough to overcome the effect of the placental hormones, gestational diabetes results.

Carbohydrate intolerance is diagnosed during pregnancy through an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). While the carbohydrate intolerance usually returns to normal level after delivery, the mother has a significant risk of developing permanent diabetes later on; while the baby is more likely to develop obesity and impaired glucose tolerance and/or diabetes later in life.

Risk factors include a family history of diabetes, increasing maternal age, obesity and being a member of a ethnic group with a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
 
The complications of gestational diabetes are usually manageable and preventable. The key to prevention is careful control of blood sugar levels as soon as the diagnosis of gestational diabetes is made.

Other types of diabetes -

4. Diabetes insipidus:

Diabetes insipidus is an uncommon condition, that occurs when the kidneys are unable to conserve water as they perform their function of filtering blood. The anti-diuretic hormone (ADH, also called vasopressin) controls the amount of water conserved. Diseases of the kidney (for example, polycystic kidney disease) and the effects of certain drugs may also cause nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.

The common symptoms are excessive urination and extreme thirst.
 
5. Syndrome X:

Syndrome X, also known as the "metabolic syndrome" or "Insulin Resistance Syndrome", is a condition that is linked to an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease.
It is characterised by abdominal obesity, elevated levels of triglycerides, low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels. Other symptoms include smoking, high fat and calorie diet, pre-diabetes or Type 2 diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome.

This is more common in older people than in younger people. In addition, women were more likely to have the syndrome than men.

For more helpful information visit Types of Diabetes and Diabetic Food
 

Regular blood glucose testing by people with diabetes is important to help control it, and also prevent long-term complications. Good control of blood glucose levels can prevent or reduce serious complications.

Frequent testing can show how changes in diet, exercise, medications or weight are having an effect on a patient's diabetes. Close monitoring of blood glucose levels allows control and timely intervention to prevent diabetic complications.

Why is testing important for diabetic patients?

Regular monitoring of blood sugar levels (blood glucose) gives valuable information as to whether the level is within the normal range. If kept in control, this can delay the onset or development of long term diabetic complications, which can even be life-threatening.
People with type 1 and type 2 diabetes can monitor their blood sugar themselves, by using thumb prick blood tests which are available as home kits. Self-monitoring is very important for long-term health.

What are the routine tests that are followed?

Regular self testing, recording of blood glucose levels by thumb prick blood tests, laboratory test of HbA1c (glycosylated haemoglobin) level a few times a year should be taken.

Other tests that should be performed routinely include: urine test to monitor kidney function; blood fat levels (cholesterol & triglyceride levels), and tests for kidney function.

Regular blood pressure measurement and treatment if needed.
Examination of the feet is also necessary, as the patient may not be aware of loss of sensation from early nerve damage.
Also, get eyes tested every 1 to 2 years, depending on test results.

How is diabetes and pre-diabetes diagnosed?

The following test are the normal tests whoich are used for diagnosis:

1. Fasting plasma glucose test –
 
This measures the blood glucose with a minimum gap of at least 8 hours without eating. It is best done on an empty stomach in the morning. This test is used to detect diabetes or pre-diabetes.

If a person’s fasting glucose level is 100 to 125 mg/dL, you have a form of pre-diabetes called impaired fasting glucose (IFG), meaning that one is quite likely to develop type 2 diabetes but does not have it yet.
A level of 126 mg/dL or above, confirmed by repeating the test on another day, means that one is diabetic.
99 mg/dL and below – normal, not diabetic
100 mg/dL to 125 mg/dL – pre diabetic
126 mg/dL and above – diabetic.

2. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) –

This measures the blood glucose after one has not eaten for least 8 hours, and then 2 hours after drinking 75 grams glucose-containing beverage. This test is used to diagnose diabetes or pre-diabetes.

This test is more sensitive than the fasting plasma glucose test for diagnosing pre-diabetes.

If 2 hours after drinking the liquid, the blood glucose level of a person is between 140 and 199 mg/dL, then it a form of pre-diabetes called impaired glucose tolerance or IGT, meaning that one is more likely to develop type 2 diabetes but does not have it yet.
Glucose level of 200 mg/dL or above, confirmed by repeating the test on another day, means that one has diabetes.
139 mg/dL and below – not diabetic, normal
140 mg/dL to 199 mg/dL – pre diabetes
200 mg/dL and above - diabetic

Gestational diabetes is diagnosed based on plasma glucose values measured during the OGTT. Blood glucose levels are checked four times during the test. If the blood glucose levels are above normal at least twice during the test, then the person has gestational diabetes.

3. Random plasma glucose test –

This measures blood glucose without regard to when you ate your last meal. This test, along with an assessment of symptoms, is used to diagnose diabetes, but not pre-diabetes.
A random blood glucose level of 200 mg/dL or more, alongwith presence of the following symptoms, can suggest that one has diabetes:

•    increased urination
•    increased thirst
•    unexplained weight loss

Other associated symptoms include fatigue, blurred vision, increased appetite, and sores that do not heal.

Test results are confirmed only after repeating the fasting plasma glucose test or the oral glucose tolerance test on a different day.

What is HbA1c or the glycosylated haemoglobin test?

HbA1c (glycosylated haemoglobin) gets collected in red blood cells when they are produced. This gives a clue about the blood sugar levels over a couple of months - the average lifespan of a red blood cell. Thus, this test shows the average blood glucose level over time, as compared to the thumb prick test, which indicates blood glucose at the time of testing.

If the HbA1c level is above 7%, consult a doctor for a better diabetes management plan.
If the HbA1c level is above 8%, the doctor may change medication or a more intensive insulin regime be used.

The combination of HbA1c test and thumb prick test results give a better indication of variations in blood glucose levels than either test alone.

How often should blood sugar testing be done?
 
Diabetic patients who are taking insulin injections should self test 3-4 times everyday, especially before retiring to bed. Type 2 diabetic patients on medicines should self test around a few times every week.

It is best to check glucose levels first thing in the morning; and before and after meals. Keep changing daily test times  to get a better idea of the changes to blood glucose levels.

For more helpful information visit Diabetes Testing at Diabetes Information and Diabetes Treatment

Since there are different types of diabetes, each type has a unique possible cause.

The main two causes of diabetes is the body’s failure to produce enough of the insulin hormone, and secondly the body develops a resistance to insulin.

•    Type 1 diabetes is due to decreased insulin production.
•    Type 2 is due to insulin resistance in peripheral tissues.
•    In juvenile diabetes, the cause might probably be a lack of vitamin D.
 
There is also gestational diabetes that only occurs in pregnant women.

Causes of diabetes -

Diabetes mellitus occurs when the pancreas does not create sufficient or any of the hormone insulin, or when the insulin produced does not work efficiently. Thus, this causes the level of glucose in the blood to be higher than normal levels

1. In Type 1 diabetes, the cells in the pancreas that make insulin are attacked and destroyed by the body’s own immune system, causing a severe lack of insulin.

It is not clear why this happens, but possible triggers of this reaction could be -
•    infection with a specific virus or bacteria;
•    exposure to food-borne chemical toxins or
•    exposure to cow's milk when as an infant, where as a yet unidentified component of the milk triggers an autoimmune reaction in the body.

However, these are only assumption, and are yet to be proven.

Type 1 diabetes usually develops in children, teenagers or young adults. Scientists believe this is a genetically caused condition and is not related to lifestyle habits.

Risk factors for developing type - 1diabetes include:

1.    Family history - a child that has a parent or sibling with type 1 diabetes has a 2-6% chance of developing the disease.

2.    Autoimmune disorders - such as thyroid disease and celiac disease, raises the risk of type 1 diabetes.

3.    Early stoppage of breastfeeding and/or exposure to cow’s milk - breastfeeding an infant for at lea
st three months decreases the risk of type 1 diabetes. Some studies also show that exposure to cow’s milk or cow’s milk-based formula before one year of age may increase diabetes risk.

4.    Ethnicity - Americans, Caucasians have a greater risk of type 1 diabetes as compared to African-Americans, Asian Americans, Latin Americans.

5.    History of childhood virus diseases

2. Type 2 diabetes is believed to develop when:

•    the receptors on the human cells in the body that respond to the action of insulin fall short of being stimulated by it - known as insulin resistance. In reaction to this, more insulin may be produced, and this over-production exhausts the insulin-manufacturing cells in the pancreas;

•    there is just insufficient insulin available in the body and

•    the insulin that is available may be abnormal and therefore doesn't function properly.

The following risk factors increase the chances of one developing Type 2 diabetes:

•    increasing age

•    if it runs in the family, ie. hereditary

•    obesity

•    high blood pressure

•    diet which is high in fat and low in dietary fibre

•    sedentary lifestyle with no or very less physical activity.

•    certain medicines such as diurectics, which increase the amount of water flowing into the urine. Corticosteroids can also lead to diabetes because they work against the action of insulin.

•    gestational diabetes

•    any illness or disease that damages the pancreas and affects its ability to produce insulin e.g. pancreatitis. (inflammation of the pancreas) and thyrotoxicosis (a poisonous condition that results from an overactive thyroid gland).

•    hormone treatments, such as growth hormone, thyroid hormone and adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH).

What does not cause diabetes?

It is also important to be aware of the different myths that have arisen about the causes of diabetes over time.

Eating sweets, excess sugar or the wrong kind of food (fried and fatty food) does not cause diabetes. However, this type of a diet may cause obesity, and overweight people are generally prone to developing Type 2 diabetes. So, its not the food, but the effect of food that may cause diabetes. So, if you love eating and are a foodoholic, make sure to burn out the extra calories that go on to make the flab.

Stress does not cause diabetes, although it may be a trigger for the body turning on itself as in the case of Type 1 diabetes. Stress, however does definitely make the symptoms worse for those who already have diabetes.

People with diabetes should never eat sugar and sweets. Sugar and sweets do raise the blood glucose, but people with diabetes can safely eat sugar as part of their meal plan.
People with diabetes should eat a special diabetes diet. This is a false notion. One has to eat regulated, along with a balanced diet.

Diabetes is not contagious. Someone with diabetes cannot transmit it on to anyone else.

Visit Diabetes Causes at Diabetes Information and Treatment for more Information