The Lowdown on Diabetes

Diabetes Mellitus is a disorder in which blood levels of glucose (a simple sugar) are abnormally high because the body doesn't release or use insulin adequately. The full name of diabetes is Diabetes Mellitus. Doctors use the full name in order to distinguish this disorder from Diabetes Insipidus which is a rare disease. Insulin, a hormone released from the pancreas, is the primary substance responsible for maintaining appropriate blood sugar levels. Insulin allows glucose to be transported into cells so that they can produce energy or store the glucose until it's needed. Diabetes results when the body doesn't produce enough of this insulin to maintain normal blood sugar levels.

There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 11.

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (insulin- dependent diabetes) and Type 11 Diabetes Mellitus (non-insulin dependent diabetes.) Type 1: produces little or no insulin, although about 6 percent of the United States population has some form of diabetes. Only about 10 percent of all diabetics have Type 1 of this disease. Most people who have Type 1 diabetes developed the disease before age 30. A person with Type 1 diabetes must regularly inject insulin to survive.

Type 11: the pancreas continues to manufacture insulin, sometime higher than normal levels.

However the body develops resistance to its effects, as a result, a relative insulin deficiency. This type may occur in children and adolescents and usually begins after age 30 and become progressive with age. About 15 percent of people over age 70 have Type 11.

The first symptoms of diabetes are related to the direct effects of high blood sugar levels. These symptoms include: increased flow and abnormal thirst, weight lost, feels excessively hungry, blurred vision, drowsiness, nausea, and decreased endurance during exercise.

Also, people whose diabetes is poorly controlled are more susceptible to infection. Because of the severity of insulin deficiency, people with Type 1 normally lose weight before undergoing treatment; in addition, the symptoms begin abruptly and may progress rapidly to a condition called Diabetic Ketoacidosis. People with Type 11 don't lose weight, and might not have any symptoms for years or decades, when insulin deficiency progresses, symptoms may develop. Increased flow and thirst are mild at first and gradually worsen over weeks or months. Ketoacidosis is rare. If the blood sugar level becomes very high, (exceeding 1,000 mg/dl) usually as the result of some superimposed stress, such as an infection or drugs, the person may develop severe dehydration, drowsiness, seizures, and a condition called Nonketotic Hyperglycemic-Hyperosmolar Coma. This coma is similar to Diabetic Ketoacidosis. There is no cure for diabetes, but it can be successfully managed or controlled with diet, exercise, and medicine.