What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease in which your body is unable to properly use and
store glucose (a form of sugar). Glucose backs up in the bloodstream --
causing your blood glucose or "sugar" to rise too high.
The different types of Diabetes:
There are two major types of diabetes.
Type 1(also called juvenile-onset or insulin-dependent) diabetes, in
this type of diabetes the body completely stops producing any insulin (a
hormone that enables your body to use glucose found in food). As is
evident with the name, this type of diabetes affects young adults. Also,
people with Type 1 diabetes are totally insulin deficient and therefore
must take daily insulin injections to survive.
Type 2(also called adult-onset or non insulin-dependent) diabetes, in
this type of disease, the body does produce insulin, but not enough to
properly convert food into energy. This form of diabetes usually occurs
in people who are over 40, overweight, and have a family history of
diabetes.
Different features of Diabetes:
Though people with diabetes experience many symptoms, the presence of
the classical triad of:
- being very thirsty
- increased hunger
- having to go to the bathroom very frequently to urinate is
virtually diagnostic of diabetes.
In addition following symptoms may also be present:
- weight loss
- wounds that don't heal
- and/or extreme unexplained fatigue
In some cases, there are no symptoms -- this happens at times with
type 2 diabetes. In this case, people can live for months, even years
without knowing they have the disease. This form of diabetes comes on so
gradually that symptoms may not even be recognized.
