The Ins And Outs Of Diabetes

Many people struggle with diabetes and more are diagnosed every day. Unless you are exposed to a person who has diabetes it is very likely that you do not really know too much about the condition. This is an article designed for that kind of person.

The first question that comes to mind is: What is diabetes? It is a condition where for some reason or other, the body is unable to regulate the amount of sugar in the blood stream or blood sugar levels, if you prefer. This can be as a result of too little insulin being produced by the pancreas or by the inability of the body to use the insulin that is being produced effectively. If it is not handles correctly, diabetes can become life threatening.

There are three kinds of diabetes, namely type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is the result of the pancreas being unable to produce enough insulin to regulate the blood sugar level. It is often referred to as juvenile or insulin dependent diabetes. It can develop at any stage in a person’s life but is most often diagnosed in childhood. If the condition is not addressed the person may go into a coma as a result of blood sugar levels being excessively high. One of the warning signs of this is fruity smelling breath, often described as smelling of apples. This kind of diabetes is a lifelong condition and there is no cure. The person will be dependent on insulin injections for the rest of their life.

Type 2 diabetes is caused by the body being unable to use the insulin that is produced. This is the most common form of diabetes with approximately ninety percent of all diabetics suffering from this kind of diabetes. It occurs most often in people who are overweight as excess body fat can interfere with the body’s ability to utilize insulin to control the blood sugar levels in the body. It can develop at any stage in a person’s life and gaining weight increases your chances of contracting this kind of diabetes. It can be cured through weight loss and other medical interventions.

The third kind of diabetes is gestational diabetes. As the name suggests, it occurs in pregnant women. It is caused by hormones released during pregnancy inhibit the body’s ability to make correct use of insulin. This form of diabetes is generally not life threatening and all should return to normal after the birth.

In conclusion, all kinds of diabetes can be managed, some can even be cured. The thing to do is to find out which kind of diabetes you have and what the solution is. If it is type 1, you will need insulin injections to introduce insulin into your system to deal with the high levels of sugar in the blood, if it is type 2, you will likely need to lose weight to allow your body to make proper use of the insulin your pancreas produces, if you have gestational diabetes, just be patient everything will right itself when you have your baby in your arms instead of your womb.

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