An introduction to diabetes
Diabetes is a disorder in which one’s blood glucose levels are very high. You get glucose from the food you eat. To let glucose enter body cells to provide energy, insulin is required. Insulin is a hormone produced in the body in normal circumstances. If you have Type 1 diabetes, the body ceases to make insulin. This is also known as juvenile diabetes. This is because Type 1 diabetes is most often found in children or teenagers. If you have Type 2 diabetes, the body fails to make proper use of insulin. Or it may produce insulin in inadequate amounts. 90 to 95% of people who have diabetes have Type 2 diabetes.
If the body does not receive the right amount of insulin, the cells fail to absorb the glucose. Glucose then stays in the bloodstream. This may cause damage to the heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes, and kidneys. Diabetes is often related to some other health problems that may be serious at times. It may lead to heart disorders or a even stroke.
Prediabetes
Prediabetes is a condition associated with diabetes. If you have prediabetes, it implies that blood sugar levels in the body are higher than normal, but still lower than they are in diabetes.
If one has prediabetes, he/she is at a higher risk of contracting Type 2 diabetes.
Gestational diabetes
Pregnant women are also vulnerable to diabetes. The type of diabetes they contract is called Gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes afflicts around 4% of pregnant woman. Up to 60% of women who had gestational diabetes are likely to contract Type 2 diabetes within 15 years.
One way of regulating diabetes includes regular exercise. Keeping your weight in check also helps prevent diabetes. For prevent and control diabetes, you must stick to a proper diet plan. Keeping the consumption of sugar under check helps reduce the risk of diabetes. This also helps keep the condition in control.
Some important risk factors for diabetes
An important risk factor for diabetes is one’s age. The risk of Type 2 diabetes increases post 45 years of age. So, one must focus on other risk factors to reduce the chances of contracting diabetes.
A family history of diabetes is yet another very important risk factor for diabetes. If anyone in your family has had diabetes, you are at a higher risk of developing it. This becomes all the more possible if your father or sibling has diabetes.
Excessive weight and negligence of regular exercise are important risk factors of diabetes. Not consuming a balanced diet is also a risk factor for diabetes.
Diagnosing diabetes
Going for routine blood checks would help one diagnose diabetes at the earliest. This would allow you to figure out a diabetes care plan. Moreover, it would let you make sure that your health does not deteriorate.
Some of the symptoms associated with diabetes are
- Excessive weight loss
- Drowsiness
- Extreme thirst
- Extreme hunger
- Wounds that take time to heal
- Blurred vision
- Numbness in hands or feet
