1. What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease that affects the way your body uses blood sugar, or glucose, which is your body’s main source of fuel. Most of what we eat turns into glucose, and our body uses it for energy. A hormone called insulin helps glucose enter into the body’s cells. When you have diabetes, your body does not produce or properly use insulin, causing a buildup of the sugars in your blood.
2. Who’s at risk of getting diabetes?
Take the test below to see if you are at risk.
3. What are the common symptoms of diabetes?
_ Frequent urination
_ Excessive thirst
_ Unexplained weight loss
_ Extreme hunger
_ Sudden vision changes
_ Tingling or numbness in hands or feet
_ Excessive fatigue
_ Very dry skin
_ Cuts and bruises that are slow to heal
_ Recurring skin, gum or bladder infections
A person with type 2 diabetes may not have any of these symptoms. That is why it is often called the “silent killer.”
4. Is diabetes contagious?
Unlike the cold or flu, diabetes is not caused by a germ or virus and is not contagious. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery; scientists believe that autoimmune, genetic and environmental factors are involved in the development of this disease.
5. Can you die from diabetes?
According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States.
6. What is insulin?
Insulin is a hormone released from the pancreas. It is the primary substance responsible for stabilizing your blood-sugar levels. Insulin allows glucose to be transported into cells so the body can create energy. The rise in blood-sugar levels after eating or drinking stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin, causing blood-sugar levels to fall gradually. Someone with diabetes does not use insulin properly to maintain normal blood-sugar levels.
7. How do you check your blood-sugar levels?
Blood-sugar levels are often checked at a routine physical examination. A blood sample is usually taken after you have fasted for about eight hours. Some elevation of blood-sugar levels after eating is normal, but even then, the levels shouldn’t be very high.
8. Is there more than one type of diabetes?
There are three types of diabetes characterized by high levels of blood glucose as a result of improper insulin production: type 1, type 2 and gestational. Each type is associated with serious complications.
9. Who is at greater risk for type 1 diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes was previously called insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile-onset diabetes. According to the ADA, this type may account for 5 percent to 10 percent of all diagnosed cases. People with type 1 diabetes produce little or no insulin at all. Most develop the disease before age 30.
10. Who is at greater risk for type 2 diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes was previously called non-insulin-dependent diabetes, or adult-onset. The pancreas continues to manufacture insulin, sometimes at higher than normal levels. But the body develops a resistance to its effects, resulting in an insulin deficiency.
This disease commonly begins after the age of 30 and becomes more common with age. However, the disease can strike a person of any age. The ADA reports that there are a growing number of people under the age of 21 that are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes each year, and many experts believe that there is a relationship between this trend and the increasing problem of juvenile obesity.
People with type 2 account for 90 percent to 95 percent of the cases. Risk factors for type 2 include: older age, obesity, a family history of diabetes, prior history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, physical inactivity and race/ethnicity. African-Americans, Hispanics, American Indians and some Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders are at particularly high risk.
11. What is gestational diabetes?
This type of diabetes develops in 2 percent to 5 percent of all pregnancies but usually disappears when the pregnancy is over. During pregnancy, gestational diabetes requires treatment to normalize maternal blood-glucose levels to avoid complications in the infant. African-Americans, Hispanics and American Indians are at higher risk of developing gestational diabetes. After pregnancy, 5 percent to 10 percent of women with gestational diabetes are found to have type 2 diabetes.
12. What is pre-diabetes?
Before individuals develop type 2 diabetes, they almost always have pre-diabetes. In such cases, the blood-glucose levels are higher than normal but are not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. The ADA estimates that 41 million people in the United States ages 40 to 74 have pre-diabetes. Research has shown that some long-term damage to the body, especially heart and circulatory problems, may already be occurring during this stage.
If you have pre-diabetes and take action to manage your blood-glucose levels through changes in your diet and increased exercise, research has shown that you can delay or prevent developing type 2 diabetes.
13. What treatments are available for diabetes?
Managing blood-glucose levels should be planned with a qualified health care team. Treatments and prevention strategies change frequently. The main goal is to keep blood-sugar levels within a normal range. Treatment requires constant attention to weight control, exercise and diet. In type 1 diabetes, insulin-replacement therapy must be used. Insulin can be administered via injections (given by the patient or the patient’s parent) or via an insulin pump that patients wear around the clock. Because insulin is destroyed in the stomach, it cannot be taken by mouth.
14. Is there a cure for diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic disease that has no cure.
15. What are the complications of diabetes?
Many people first become aware that they are diabetic after developing one of the following life-threatening complications:
_Heart disease
_Blindness
_Kidney failure
_Need for amputation of a lower extremity
Other complications can include poor healing and deep infections caused by poor circulation.
16. Can diabetes be prevented?
Researchers are working to identify the exact genetics and triggers that predispose some people to develop type 1 diabetes. A number of studies have shown that regular physical activity and proper nutrition can significantly reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
17. How often should you be screened for diabetes?
If you have any of the symptoms listed in question 3 or are in an at-risk category, you should contact your health care professional to assess your risks.
18. Can a person who’s diabetic still have foods that contain sugar?
Foods that contain sugar are not off-limits to a person with diabetes. But your diet should be reviewed with a medical professional and sugar should be consumed with great moderation. Again, careful monitoring of the blood-glucose levels must be done.
19. What is the ADA?
The ADA is the nation’s leading nonprofit health organization providing diabetes information and advocacy. Its mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by the disease. To help raise the money needed for diabetes research, the ADA supports fundraisers, including America’s Walk for Diabetes, Tour de Cure, School Walk for Diabetes and Kiss-A-Pig. For more information, call (800) DIABETES (342-2383) or visit the Web site at www.diabetes.org.
20. Are there any support groups?
For information about support groups or ADA-recognized diabetes treatment programs or providers in your area, call (800) DIABETES (342-2383) or visit www.diabetes.org.
___
(c) 2005, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Visit the Star-Telegram on the World Wide Web at http://www.star-telegram.com.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
_____
KRT OnePages Elements offers editors the content from our paginated spot OnePages, but in a text-only format.
___
TO PURCHASE ONEPAGES ELEMENTS
Items offered as ONEPAGES ELEMENTS are not included in your KRT News Service subscription. You can purchase the items on KRT Direct at www.krtdirect.com. For details or pricing information, please contact Rick DeChantal at Tribune Media Services at (800) 245-6536 or [email protected]. Outside the United States, call Tribune Media Services International at +1-213-237-7987 or e-mail [email protected].
___
ARCHIVE PHOTOS on KRT Direct (from KRT Photo Service, 202-383-6099):
diabetes
For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail [email protected].
Comments