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Diabetes
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The name diabetes mellitus is from the Greek. "Diabetes" means "to go through". This is because frequent urination is a major symptom of this disease. The word "mellitus" was added in the 17th century, which means honey in Latin.
Dibetes is a disorder of metabolism; the way our body uses digested food for growth and energy. Most of the food we eat is converted by the digestive juices into a simple sugar called glucose. Glucose is the main source of fuel for the cells in our body.
After digestion, the glucose passes into our bloodstream where it is available for body cells to use for growth and energy. For the glucose to get into the cells, insulin must be present. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, a large gland behind the stomach.
When we eat, the pancreas is supposed to automatically produce the right amount of insulin to move the glucose from our blood into our cells. In diabetic patient, however, the pancreas either produces insufficient or no insulin (Type 1 diabetes) or due to certain reason (refer to below) the body cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced (Type 2 diabetes).
As a result, glucose builds up in the blood, overflows into the urine, and passes out of the body. Thus, the body loses its main source of fuel even though the blood contains large amount of glucose.
The 2 major forms of diabetes are:
Type 1 Diabetes accounted for 10 percent of the total number of diabetics. Type 1 dibetes happens when the beta cells in pancreas fail to produce adequate insulin to control blood sugar. It symptoms often become apparent in childhood or infancy thus it is also called "juvenile diabetes.
Symptoms of Type 1 Dibetes include: frequent urination, excessive thirst, weight loss, increase in appetite, weakness, fatigue, nausea and vomiting.
Type 2 Diabetes accounted for 90 percent of the total number of diabetics. Type 2 diabetes generally has nothing to do with insulin production. The problem is with the cell's receptor which cannot receive the insulin due to fat. Excess fat prevents insulin from working properly. Type 2 diabetes mellitus risk doubles with every 20% of excess weight. Stress, smoking and a sedentary lifestyle can also contribute to the development of Type 2 diabetes.
Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes include any of the diabetic symptoms in type 1 diabetes as well as: excessive weight, drowsiness, blurred vision, tingling, numbness in hands and feet, skin infections, slow healing of wounds, and itching.
Diabetes Complications
There are basically 2 type of diabetes complications: acute and long term complication.
Acute Complication includes:
Long Term Complication includes:
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