Symptoms Of Diabetes: What Is Happening To Your Body?
Though diabetes has affected about twenty million Americans today but still there are many people who are totally unaware of the disease. They might have seen the advertisements of diabetes testing supplies but they hardly know about the symptoms of diabetes. Out of these twenty million people about one third even don't know whether they are having diabetes or are not taking treatment for it.
In short, diabetes means that the body doesn't make sufficient amounts of insulin. Insulin is the substance that stops glucose from getting into the bloodstream, and not having enough can prevent necessary sugars from getting in as well. The body needs sugar to fuel itself, so without sugars it literally starves. The body may try to counteract this by hoarding sugar to prevent future starvation.
In one of every twenty pregnancies, women can suffer from "gestational diabetes" which leads to increased fatigue and frequent urination. In addition about one of every ten people have pre-diabetes symptoms that could develop into another type of diabetes. However, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are the most common, and need to be addressed the most.
There is no cure for Type 1 diabetes. It is related to the immune system, and those who have Type 1 diabetes must take insulin every day. Symptoms of diabetes of this type can include being very tired, thirsty, hungry, loss of weight, and some loss of vision. Normally, our body automatically destroys all foreign substances, but Type 1 confuses this process, and not enough insulin can be produced.
Type 2 diabetes is, by far, the most common form of diabetes that accounts for eight out of ten cases diagnosed. This happens to be the type of diabetes that people have been known to develop as they age, are overweight, or find themselves in families that have a history of diabetics. Unlike Type 1, the pancreas functions properly in the Type 2 diagnosis, but the body is unable to handle it. This may be due to the cause of weight gain, but the overall symptoms of diabetes remain constant, which includes abnormal hunger and thirst, vision impairment, and even elongated recovery time from sustained injuries.
Any of these symptoms of diabetes can signal a serious problem and needs to be brought to the attention of a physician immediately. No one likes the idea of purchasing and using diabetes testing supplies, but ignoring red flags of diabetes can be dangerous or even deadly. Any general practice doctor can make note of these symptoms and give patients further advice on what to do next.
While most of us have at least seen commercials for diabetes testing supplies on the television, many people are not sure what it is or the symptoms of diabetes. The cause of diabetes is a result of the body not producing enough insulin, which prevents glucose from entering the bloodstream, denying cells needed sugars. The most common forms of diabetes are types 1 and 2 diabetes, and these are in the greatest need of being addressed. Many people that are Type 2 diabetic usually develop the condition as they get older, gain too much weight, or simply have a genetic predisposition to diabetes.
Published January 29th, 2008
Filed in Family
