also called insulin-dependent diabetes, most of the diabetes can be controlled through diet, How much diabetes affects health depends on how well …
Diabetes
Diabetes is the oldest known human disease, and possibly the most widespread More than 15 million people in the United States have diabetes and many dont know they have it
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition in which the body has lost its ability to regulate its blood sugar level by means of the hormone insulin In a healthy person, an organ called the pancreas secretes the hormone insulin into the bloodstream whenever the blood sugar rises Insulin triggers the body cells to remove sugar from the blood In diabetes, the pancreas fails to secrete enough insulin to regulate blood sugar There are two types of diabetes In Type I diabetes, also called insulin-dependent diabetes, most of the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas have been destroyed, possibly as a result of injury, infection or an immune system disorder People with this type of diabetes must take insulin shots to survive In Type II diabetes, or noninsulin-dependent diabetes, the pancreas produces less insulin and the cells ability to respond to insulin is impaired In some cases, Type II diabetes can be controlled through diet, lifestyle changes and oral drugs Type I and Type II diabetes are not contagious,
but they do run in families
Who Gets Diabetes?
s Type I diabetes usually develops in childhood or early adulthood, though it can occur at any age There may be a genetic predisposition to this kind of diabetes in some cases s Type II diabetes mostly occurs in adults over the age of 40, though it may occur in children and adolescents who are overweight s Age, obesity, a family history of diabetes and a history of giving birth to a baby weighing over 9 pounds are risk factors s People of African-American, AmericanIndian, and Latino ancestry are at greater risk for Type II diabetes than the general population
How Diabetes Affects Health
High blood sugar, also called hyperglycemia, affects every aspect of the bodys functioning, causing gradual and permanent damage to many organs if not controlled How much diabetes affects health depends on how well the persons blood sugar is kept under control by diet, exercise and insulin injections Uncontrolled diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the United States High blood sugar also damages the heart, kidneys and peripheral vascular system Peripheral neuropathy can lead to sores that may be difficult to heal, and if left untreated,
could lead to gangrene and amputation of affected limbs continued
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Source:denvergov.org
