Diabetes – Do You Know All About it?

Diabetes is a disorder with very serious consequences if not treated well. And it is very costly to treat diabetic

[the_ad id=”6114″]complications than to prevent them. The problem with diabetes is that it affects quality of life much more than quantity of life. Diabetes, often referred to by doctors as diabetes mellitus, describes a group of metabolic diseases in which the person has high blood glucose (blood sugar).

What causes Diabetes?
Diabetes occurs when the pancreas, a gland behind the stomach, does not produce enough of the hormone insulin, or the body can’t use insulin properly due resistance to its action.

What is pre diabetes? In Pre-diabetes, person’s blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Pre-diabetes is also know as Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) or Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG)

What are different type of Diabetes Mellitus?

Type 1 – Diabetes occurs when the pancreas makes very little or no insulin. This form of the disease is most often seen in children.
Type 2 – Body is resistant to the action of insulin, meaning it cannot use insulin properly, so it cannot carry sugar into the cells.
Other types include Gestational Diabetes (occurring in pregnant females) and secondary forms of diabetes like pancreatic DM.

What are the Risk factors for developing Diabetes Mellitus?

Main risk factors for developing diabetes are:
·      Being overweight
·      Sedentary lifestyle
·      Family history of diabetes
·      History of gestational diabetes
·      Age
·      Ethnic/racial background:
·      African
·      Hispanic/Latino
·      Native American
·      Asian

What are the symptoms that should alert you to see your doctor?