Diabetes Articles

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Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. 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 and adults in the United States, or 7% of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, unfortunately, 6.2 million people (or nearly one-third) are unaware that they have the disease. In order to determine whether or not a patient has pre-diabetes or diabetes, health care providers conduct a Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (FPG) or an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). Either test can be used to diagnose pre-diabetes or diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recommends the FPG because it is easier, faster, and less expensive to perform. read more...

If you or someone you care for has recently been diagnosed with diabetes, you are no doubt experiencing a range of emotions. Fear, anger, denial, frustration, depression and uncertainty are just a few of them, and are very common. You are not alone. This area of our Web site can help ease your fears and teach you more about living with and managing your diabetes, caring for someone with diabetes, and how to handle the emotions behind an initial diagnosis. read more...

Diabetes mellitus (IPA: /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/ or /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtəs/, /məˈlaɪtəs/ or /ˈmɛlətəs/), often referred to simply as diabetes (Greek: διαβήτης), is a syndrome characterized by disordered metabolism and abnormally high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia) resulting from low levels of the hormone insulin with or without abnormal resistance to insulin's effects.[2] The characteristic symptoms are excessive urine production (polyuria), excessive thirst and increased fluid intake (polydipsia), blurred vision, unexplained weight loss and lethargy. These symptoms are likely to be absent if the blood sugar is only mildly elevated. The World Health Organization recognizes three main forms of diabetes. read more...

There are three main types of diabetes, type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. You may have a health risk factor for type 2 diabetes if you; are overweight, are over 45 years of age, have a family history of diabetes, metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance), high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, a history of gestational diabetes, polycystic ovary disease, habitually inactive, or have a history of vascular disease (such as stroke). read more...

The "glitazone" diabetes drugs Actos and Avandia may double or triple the risk of broken bones after a year or two of use. The finding comes from Swiss researchers who analyzed 12 years of data on U.K. diabetes patients. They compared the 1,020 patients who suffered some kind of fracture to 3,728 matched patients who did not break any bones. Over the course of the study, most of the patients took several diabetes drugs. But those who refilled their Actos or Avandia prescriptions eight times or more -- about 12 to 18 months of use -- had nearly twice the fracture risk of other patients. read more...

Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose, or sugar, levels are too high. Glucose comes from the foods you eat. Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose get into your cells to give them energy. With Type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin. With Type 2 diabetes, the more common type, your body does not make or use insulin well. Without enough insulin, the glucose stays in your blood. Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause serious problems. It can damage your eyes, kidneys, and nerves. Diabetes can also cause heart disease, stroke and even the need to remove a limb. read more...

When you have diabetes, it's very important to see an eye doctor regularly. Diabetic retinopathy is a serious complication of diabetes. According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, between 12,000 to 24,000 new cases of blindness every year are attributed to diabetes. Recently, glaucoma was added to the list of possible eye complications. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) says that having diabetes puts you at a 40% higher risk for glaucoma than people who don't have the disease. The length of time that you have diabetes also increases your risk. Glaucoma can be treated with medications, eye drops or surgery. Early detection and treatment can save your eyesight, so make sure you are checked for glaucoma annually. read more...

Managing type 2 diabetes means making some changes to how you live. Your doctor will ask you to eat healthy, be more active, lose weight if you need to, and quit smoking. He or she may prescribe one or more medicines, too. It may seem like a lot to do. But keeping your blood sugar under control now can help reduce the risk of health problems from diabetes later. This site offers a lot of information to help you, along with special features like these: read more...

Diabetes is a serious chronic disease that can be managed through lifestyle changes and medication. Nearly 21 million Americans have diabetes, and at least 54 million people over age 20 have pre-diabetes. Whether you just found out you have diabetes or have been dealing with it for years, you can control your diabetes and live a long, active life. If you are at risk or have pre-diabetes, you can take small steps to prevent the disease. What Is Diabetes? If you just found out you have diabetes or want to know more about the disease, this section will help answer your questions. Learn more about the different types of diabetes, including their causes, risk factors, symptoms, and complications. read more...

Research studies have found that moderate weight loss and exercise can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes among adults at high-risk of diabetes. Find out more about the risk factors for type 2 diabetes, what it means to have prediabetes, and what you can do to prevent or delay diabetes. Progression to diabetes among those with prediabetes is not inevitable. Studies suggest that weight loss and increased physical activity among people with prediabetes prevent or delay diabetes and may return blood glucose levels to normal. read more...

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a set of related diseases in which the body cannot regulate the amount of sugar (specifically, glucose) in the blood. Glucose in the blood gives you energy to perform daily activities, walk briskly, run for a bus, ride your bike, take aerobic exercise class, and perform your day-to-day chores. From the foods you eat, glucose in the blood is produced by the liver (an organ on the right side of the abdomen near your stomach). In a healthy person, the blood glucose level is regulated by several hormones, including insulin. Insulin is produced by the pancreas, a small organ between the stomach and liver. The pancreas secretes other important enzymes that help to digest food. Insulin allows glucose to move from the blood into liver, muscle, and fat cells, where it is used for fuel. People with diabetes either do not produce enough insulin (type 1 diabetes) or cannot use insulin properly (type 2 diabetes), or both (which occurs with several forms of diabetes). In diabetes, glucose in the blood cannot move into cells, so it stays in the blood. This not only harms the cells that need the glucose for fuel, but also harms certain organs and tissues exposed to the high glucose levels. read more...

Standardizing and Improving Laboratory Tests for Diabetes Each year in the United States, diabetes is diagnosed in about 800,000 people. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder affecting the body's ability to make or use insulin. Insulin is the hormone that transports glucose from digested nutrients into the body's cells for energy and growth. Diabetes causes a variety of disabling and life-threatening complications and is the leading cause of nontraumatic amputations, blindness among working-age adults, and end-stage kidney disease. National Center for Environmental Health's (NCEH) Division of Laboratory Sciences (DLS) has established a special program to standardize and improve the laboratory tests used to predict, diagnose, and monitor diabetes and its complications. This program pools expertise from several areas, including clinical chemistry, molecular biology, and newborn screening. Specific targets for improvement include tests for biomarkers (genes and proteins) that can help predict type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes in children before it occurs, tests used to monitor glucose control in people with diabetes who are undergoing treatment, and tests to help anticipate which people with diabetes are most likely to suffer kidney damage. read more...

Do You Have Diabetes? Millions of people have diabetes mellitus, commonly called diabetes. You may be surprised to know that many of these people don’t even know they have it. Diabetes is a serious disease and should not be ignored. If you have it, correct treatment can help you live a long and healthy life. What Is Diabetes? If you have diabetes, your body can’t make or use insulin. Insulin helps change sugar into energy to keep you alive. There are different kinds of diabetes. The main ones are type 1 and type 2. read more...

What causes diabetes? Insufficient production of insulin (either absolutely or relative to the body's needs), production of defective insulin (which is uncommon), or the inability of cells to use insulin properly and efficiently leads to hyperglycemia and diabetes. This latter condition affects mostly the cells of muscle and fat tissues, and results in a condition known as "insulin resistance." This is the primary problem in type 2 diabetes. The absolute lack of insulin, usually secondary to a destructive process affecting the insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas, is the main disorder in type 1 diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, there also is a steady decline of beta cells that adds to the process of elevated blood sugars. For more, please read the Insulin Resistance article. Essentially, if someone is resistant to insulin, the body can, to some degree, increase production of insulin and overcome the level of resistance. After time, if production decreases and insulin cannot be released as vigorously, hyperglycemia develops. read more...

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