Diabetes and what you need to know about it

Diabetes and what you need to know about it

Diabetes is a complex metabolic disorder that is characterized by an increase in your blood sugar level/glucose level.

It can be defined as “Diabetes mellitus refers to a group of metabolic disorders that result from an inability to produce and/or reduced sensitivity to insulin.  “

Blood glucose is our main source of energy and comes from the food you eat. Insulin utilize the sugar. This insulin is simply a hormone made by the pancreas which helps glucose from food get into different types of cells and these cells used  used for energy. Sometimes your body doesn’t make enough—or any—insulin or doesn’t use insulin well. Glucose then stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells.

So in brief, we can say Our body produces a hormone called insulin. Insulin helps to regulate the glucose which we obtain from the food we take and distribute it into our cells. If insulin fails to regulate the glucose level, it results in diabetes.we called this type of diabetes is also as Metabolic diabetes. Let know more about Diabetes and what you need to know about it . 

Classification of diabetes

Diabetes simply can be classified to following types

• Diabetes Type I
• Diabetes Type II (most common)
• Gestational diabetes
• Prediabetes

Type I diabetes and Types 

If you have type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin. Due to different reasons like the immune system attacks and destroys the cells in your pancreas that make insulin. So it lso known as juvenile diabetes. This type of diabetes or type I diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults.

It can also appear at any age. For the case of type I diabetes, they need to take insulin so this type of diabetes also call as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. It is characterized by the loss or destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreatic islets leading to insulin deficiency.

Two Types of Type I Diabetes are there which are classifies as below.

• IA:  when the destruction is immune-mediated.
• IB: When the cause is unknown.

Type II diabetes:

• Type II is the most common type of diabetes. In the case of type II diabetes, your body does not make the adequate insulin or body is not using the insulin well. This means that Condition in which cells fail to respond to insulin properly or loss of insulin sensitivity
• Type II diabetes can be at any age, even during childhood also. However, this type of diabetes occurs most often in middle-aged and older people.
• This form of diabetes is previously referred to as “non-insulin – dependent diabetes mellitus”. Or” adult-onset diabetes”.
• The most common cause is excessive weight and not enough exercise

Gestational diabetes:

• It is a main form and occurs when pregnant women without previous history of diabetes develop high blood sugar level. The sugar level is seen high during the pregnancy period. This sugar level may become normal after the birth of the child. 

Prediabetes:

• This means that your blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. Having prediabetes puts you at a higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes.

Most Common Risk factors of diabetes:

• Sedentary lifestyle
• Diet

• Family history

• Inactivity

• Age

• Obesity

• High blood pressure

What are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes?

symptoms of type 2 diabetes and can be according to the different systems in our body.
type 2 diabetes symptoms are listed as follows : warning signs of type 2 diabetes

Central:                                      

• Polydipsia (increased thirst)                            
• Polyphagia (increased hunger)
• Lethargy
• Support

Eyes:

• Blurred vision
• Systemic
• Weight loss
• Gastric
• Nausea 
• Vomiting 
• Abdominal pain
• Breath
• Smell of acetone

Urinary:

• Polyuria (increased urination)
• Glycosuria

Complications of diabetes:

Over time, high  level of blood glucose leads to problems with many different conditions to us some most common are listed as

• heart disease
• stroke
• kidney disease
• eye problems
• dental disease
• nerve damage
• foot problems

Medically we can specify the following most common complications as follows:

• Retinopathy (blindness/blurred vision)
• Nephropathy (kidney problem)
• Feet ulceration and/or amputation 
• Hypertension(high blood pressure) 
• Hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol level)
• Erectile Dysfunction
• Heart failure

Get more about american diabetic association recipes

References:

• Tatsuya Hayashi, Jorgen F. P. Wojtaszewski, Laurie J. Goodyear. Exercise regulation of glucose transport in skeletal muscle. American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism.1 December 1997 Vol. 273 no. 6, E1039-E1051 DOI:
• Roy D, Marette A. Exercise induces the translocation of GLUT4 to transverse tubules from an intracellular pool in rat skeletal muscle. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1996 Jun 5;223(1):147-52
• ACSM’s Guideline for Exercise Testing and Prescription; 8th Edition

AUTHOR OF THIS ARTICLE –>Diva KC, physiotherapist