What is Diabetes

By now, I’m sure we all probably know what diabetes is. We've had it preached to us from the roof tops, hammered into us through TV commercials and shows and general health care campaigns. We've had diabetes type, the symptoms to watch out for, diabetes diagnosis and prognosis, the food to avoid, the exercises to do and the like drilled into us, until we can on demand rattle of its definition without so much as a moment’s pause.

So for the vast majority of us we have diabetes figured out right...?-Wrong. It would surprise you that a brief online research shows that whilst many people have the general idea of what diabetes is, many more still are unaware or inadequately informed of its factors. And still many more don’t know that they are sufferers. So what exactly is diabetes?

Diabetes is a health condition characterized by the body’s inability to properly metabolize and store glucose. Glucose is a type of sugar which the body ordinarily needs to produce energy. As a result, the glucose accumulates in the blood stream, leaving the body’s glucose also known as blood sugar, level dangerously high. In view of this a person suffering from diabetes will usually have all or many of the following symptoms; being very thirsty, frequent urination- this is interpreted as the bodies need to compensate by using water to flush out the excess sugar in the blood stream; increased hunger-interpreted as the bodies need for more food as food taken is no longer efficiently converted into energy; irritability; blurry vision; tingling or numbness in the hands or feet; wounds that don’t heal, frequent gum, skin or bladder infections.

 

If it was just this and nothing else, diabetes would not be so bad right. Well, what exactly makes it bad is that the resulting condition of so much sugar in the blood can and often leads to other complications. Here are a few of them; heart disease, kidney disease, foot problems, eye complications, nerve damage, skin complications and dental disease.

Diabetes can be divided into two major types, namely type 1 and type 2.

Under Type 1, formerly referred to as insulin dependent or juvenile on-set diabetes, production of insulin, the hormone which the body uses to convert glucose to energy, completely stops. As such to enable them survive, sufferers of Type 1 diabetes are required to take daily insulin shots.

Though prevalent in children or young adults, this type of diabetes can affect people of any age.

Type 2 or as it was formerly called adult onset or non-insulin-dependent diabetes on the other hand occurs when the amount of insulin the body produces is insufficient and /or the body is unable to properly use it. This latter is known as insulin resistance. Type 2 diabetes is normally found to occur in the following demography; people over 40, who are overweight, and have a family history of diabetes. Notwithstanding this though, today it is becoming more prevalent among young adults. 

Generally speaking, diabetes has been found to be more common among Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, Native Americans and African Americans. As such coming with the creeping incidence of Type 2 cases among young adults, it is imperative now more than ever for people to be aware of the symptoms as enumerated above. Once again here they are; being very thirsty, frequent urination- this is interpreted as the bodies need to compensate by using water to flush out the excess sugar in the blood stream; increased hunger-interpreted as the bodies need for more food as food taken is no longer efficiently converted into energy; irritability; blurry vision; tingling or numbness in the hands or feet; wounds that don’t heal, frequent gum, skin or bladder infections.

This said though one should equally note that in some Type 2 cases, there are no obvious symptoms. This happens because in such cases, the onset of the disease is so gradual that it may escape immediate recognition. As such it is recommended that individuals should endeavor particularly if they are in the at risk group(s), to make diabetes screening part of their annual health check routine. This will enable them where it is detected to take adequate early measures to either arrest its development or possibly reverse it.