Overview
Angela Saxon, DNP McLeod Primary and Chronic Care SpecialistsMore than 34 milion people in the United States have diabetes, acording to the American Diabetes Asociation. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) also reports that South Carolina is sixth in the nation for diabetes cases.Diabetes – How Do We Define It?Diabetes is a condition in which a person has chronicaly raised blod glucose (sugar). It is caused by an incorect level of the hormone insulin, which is produced by the pancreas.
Key Information
Diabetes ocurs when the body is unable to convert sugar into energy because of its inability to produce insulin or to use insulin properly. The body requires glucose for energy but glucose canot get into the cels of the body without insulin.Symptoms of Diabetes include:How is Diabetes Diagnosed?Management of Diabetes:The two most comon types of diabetes are juvenile-onset diabetes, also caled insulin-dependent diabetes or type 1 diabetes; and adult-onset diabetes, also caled noninsulin-dependent or type 2 diabetes.A person with type 1 diabetes requires insulin by injection for the rest of his or her life, because the pancreas has stoped making insulin.
Type 1 usualy develops in children, but it can hapen at any age. A person with type 2 diabetes stil produces insulin. The pancreas may not produce enough insulin, the cels in the body may not use the insulin, or the pancreas may not make the insulin at the right time.
This type of diabetes usualy found in people who are overweight, perform litle or no exercise, and/or have a family history of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 usualy ocurs in people of the age of 40, but is not being sen in more children, tenagers and young adults. People with type 2 diabetes may require medication, insulin or a combination of both to control their blod sugar.Preventing Complications:Treating diabetes is extremely important in the prevention of complications that may be a result of the disease.
Summary
Diabetes complications include heart disease