FOR THE PATIENT: ABOUT DIABETES
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes (or sugar sickness) is a condition of the body, where sugar is not used correctly to provide energy for living and growing. You develop diabetes when your body doesn’t produce enough insulin. Without insulin your body cannot get the energy it needs from your food. Normally, a gland called the pancreas makes insulin which carries the sugar in the blood into the cells. In diabetes, the pancreas fails to supply enough insulin, or the insulin doesn't work properly.
There are two major types of diabetes: Type 1, commonly called juvenile diabetes, and Type 2, commonly called adult on-set diabetes. Both have similar symptoms but very different causes.
Type 1 diabetes: usually diagnosed in childhood, is a disease whereby the body's own immune system attacks and kills the cells in the pancreas which produce insulin, leaving a person's body without insulin, and unable to regulate its blood sugar levels.
Type 2 diabetes: is a disease that results when the body's cells become resistant to insulin. In Type 2 diabetes, unlike in Type 1, insulin is still produced by the body; it just isn't used correctly.
What are the symptoms that I might have Diabetes?
Although some people have no or few symptoms, the following are common:
How is diabetes treated?
Having diabetes does not mean the end of your world; Diabetics can easily have a normal healthy life. Depending on the type and severity of the diabetes, you can be treated with diet and exercise, or diet, exercise and medication. Medication may be insulin or tablets, or both.
What happens if a diabetic doesn’t look after their sugar levels?
It is essential to manage and control your blood sugar to prevent or reduce the risk of developing the complications of the disease. The abnormally high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia), can cause kidney, eye, heart, blood vessel, and other diseases. Without proper management it can lead to heart and kidney disease, blindness and amputation.
Diabetes (or sugar sickness) is a condition of the body, where sugar is not used correctly to provide energy for living and growing. You develop diabetes when your body doesn’t produce enough insulin. Without insulin your body cannot get the energy it needs from your food. Normally, a gland called the pancreas makes insulin which carries the sugar in the blood into the cells. In diabetes, the pancreas fails to supply enough insulin, or the insulin doesn't work properly.
There are two major types of diabetes: Type 1, commonly called juvenile diabetes, and Type 2, commonly called adult on-set diabetes. Both have similar symptoms but very different causes.
Type 1 diabetes: usually diagnosed in childhood, is a disease whereby the body's own immune system attacks and kills the cells in the pancreas which produce insulin, leaving a person's body without insulin, and unable to regulate its blood sugar levels.
Type 2 diabetes: is a disease that results when the body's cells become resistant to insulin. In Type 2 diabetes, unlike in Type 1, insulin is still produced by the body; it just isn't used correctly.
What are the symptoms that I might have Diabetes?
Although some people have no or few symptoms, the following are common:
- Constantly tired for no reason
- Constantly thirsty
- Urinate frequently
- Unexplained weight loss
- Cuts and bruises heal slowly
- Blurred vision
- Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet
- Itching skin
- Frequent or recurring infections
How is diabetes treated?
Having diabetes does not mean the end of your world; Diabetics can easily have a normal healthy life. Depending on the type and severity of the diabetes, you can be treated with diet and exercise, or diet, exercise and medication. Medication may be insulin or tablets, or both.
What happens if a diabetic doesn’t look after their sugar levels?
It is essential to manage and control your blood sugar to prevent or reduce the risk of developing the complications of the disease. The abnormally high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia), can cause kidney, eye, heart, blood vessel, and other diseases. Without proper management it can lead to heart and kidney disease, blindness and amputation.
RELIABLE EXPERT INFORMATION
The SAJDVD’s main focus is
providing new and relevant information for doctors,
nurses and allied professionals involved in caring
for the diabetes patient.
But as we are part of the larger Diabetes team, we would like to reach out to all patients with relevant information. So here it is!
But as we are part of the larger Diabetes team, we would like to reach out to all patients with relevant information. So here it is!
