Symptoms Of Diabetes For All Types
Diabetes afflicts more than 15% of the American population today. Many of these people have not seen a doctor for medical treatment. While we've all seen diabetes testing supplies on pharmacy shelves and advertisements, many of us are still unsure of what they are. Nor do we know the symptoms of diabetes.
Simply put, diabetes is a problem with the body that involves not producing sufficient insulin, thus preventing glucose from entering the bloodstream. This can deny necessary sugars, which are necessary since the body uses sugar as fuel. If this process is disrupted, the body begins to practically starve itself, and in some cases fools itself into storying too much sugar to prevent this.
In 5% of pregnancies, a woman can develop gestational (or pregnancy) diabetes. This causes her to feel more fatigued and to have to urinate more often. Moreover, approximately 10% of people exhibit pre-diabetic symptoms, a condition which could actually turn into a different form of diabetes. Nevertheless, the stress should be on dealing with Types 1 and 2, since they occur most frequently.
Type I Diabetes is a less common form of the disease, comprising only about 10% of cases. Whether an autoimmune response or some other causative factor, the pancreas of the diabetic does not produce adequate insulin. Symptoms of diabetes include increased hunger and thirst, visual impairment, circulatory changes, general malaise and weight loss. Unfortunately, there is no cure. The Type I diabetic must take insulin injections for the rest of their life.
By far, Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes, accounting for eight out of ten cases. This is also the type of diabetes that people tend to develop as they age, are overweight, or are in families that have many diabetics. Unlike Type 1, the pancreas functions properly in Type 2, but the body is unable to process it. This can actually be the cause of weight gain, but the symptoms of diabetes remain the same, including abnormal hunger and thirst, vision impairment, and even a elongated recovery time from injuries.
It is crucial that people suffering from any of these symptoms of diabetes seek medical attention. While the prospect of having to use and buy diabetes testing supplies is not a happy one, ignoring these signs can result in sickness, coma, or even death. Any primary care physician will be able to analyze these symptoms and recommend a course of action.
In American today, there are a staggering twenty million plus people that suffer from some form of diabetes and almost a third of those have not been diagnosed or sought treatment. While most of us have at least commercials for diabetes testing supplies on the television, many people are not sure what it is or the symptoms of diabetes. Eight out of ten cases of diabetes are diagnosed as Type 2. Many people that are Type 2 diabetic usually develop the condition as they get older, gain too much weight, or simply have a genetic predisposition to diabetes.
Published January 29th, 2008