Basic Health Care Series

Diabetes

Lester Bivens

• Publisher: Alpha Editions
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9789386834454
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Global Development Studies
• Index: Social Sciences

Diabetes is a common life-long health condition. There are 3.3 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK and an estimated 590, 000 people who have the condition, but don't know it. Diabetes is one of the most common chronic disorders. The incidence of the disorder is being reported from all parts of the country and all segments of society. Diabetes prevention is as basic as eating more healthfully, becoming more physically active and losing a few extra pounds — and it's never too late to start. Making a few simple changes in your lifestyle now may help you avoid the serious health complications of diabetes down the road, such as nerve, kidney and heart damage. This book is for all of us who wish to know about diabetes whether or not we are suffering from it.

Basic Health Care Series

Diabetes

Basic Health Care Series

Diabetes

Lester Bivens

Alpha Editions

Copyright © 2017

ISBN : 9789386367532

Design and Setting By

Alpha Editions

email - [email protected]

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

The views and characters expressed in the book are of the author and his/her imagination and do not represent the views of the Publisher.

Contents

Preface

1. Overview

2. Causes

3. Symptoms

4. Diagnosis

5. Treatment

6. Prevention

7. Diet and Food

Preface

Diabetes mellitus which was initially described as a single disease entity, is now regarded as a heterogeneous group of diseases that share the phenotype of hyperglycaemia, which in simple terms is increased glucose levels in the body.

Diabetes is a condition where the amount of glucose in your blood is too high because the body cannot use it properly.

Diabetes, often referred to by doctors as diabetes mellitus, describes a group of metabolic diseases in which the person has high blood glucose (blood sugar), either because insulin production is inadequate, or because the body's cells do not respond properly to insulin, or both. Patients with high blood sugar will typically experience polyuria (frequent urination), they will become increasingly thirsty (polydipsia) and hungry (polyphagia).

Insulin is a hormone secreted by specialized cells in the pancreas in response to (among other things), increased blood glucose concentration. The primary role of insulin is to control the transport of glucose from the bloodstream into the cells. After consuming a meal, insulin enhances the uptake of the energy nutrients (amino acids, glucose, and fatty acids). Insulin helps maintain blood glucose within normal limits and stimulates protein synthesis, glucose synthesis in the liver and muscle, and fat synthesis.

Diabetes prevention is as basic as eating more healthfully, becoming more physically active and losing a few extra pounds — and it’s never too late to start. Making a few simple changes in your lifestyle now may help you avoid the serious health complications of diabetes down the road, such as nerve, kidney and heart damage.

The aim of this book is to put each and every individual who reads it in complete control and charge of their health.

1

Overview

Diabetes is a common life-long health condition. There are 3.3 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK and an estimated 590,000 people who have the condition, but don’t know it.

Diabetes is a condition where the amount of glucose in your blood is too high because the body cannot use it properly.

This is because your pancreas doesn’t produce any insulin, or not enough insulin, to help glucose enter your body’s cells – or the insulin that is produced does not work properly (known as insulin resistance).

• Insulin is the hormone produced by the pancreas that allows glucose to enter the body’s cells, where it is used as fuel for energy so we can work, play and generally live our lives. It is vital for life.

• Glucose comes from digesting carbohydrate and is also produced by the liver.

• If you have diabetes, your body cannot make proper use of this glucose so it builds up in the blood and can’t be used as fuel.

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that is characterized by high blood glucose and either insufficient or ineffective insulin. 5.9% of the population in the United States has diabetes, and diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in our country. Diabetes is a chronic disease without a cure, however, with proper management and treatment, diabetics can live a normal, healthy lives.

Insulin

Insulin is a hormone secreted by specialized cells in the pancreas in response to (among other things), increased blood glucose concentration. The primary role of insulin is to control the transport of glucose from the bloodstream into the cells. After consuming a meal, insulin enhances the uptake of the energy nutrients (amino acids, glucose, and fatty acids). Insulin helps maintain blood glucose within normal limits and stimulates protein synthesis, glucose synthesis in the liver and muscle, and fat synthesis.

Without insulin, or when insulin is ineffective, glucose regulation falters and the metabolism of energy-yielding nutrients changes. In diabetes, there is too much glucose in the blood. When glucose builds in the blood instead of going into the cells, it can cause two problems:

• Your cells may become starved for energy

• Over time, high glucose blood levels may harm your kidneys, heart, eyes or nerves

There are two main types of diabetes, Type I and Type II, described below.

Type I Diabetes

Insulin-dependant is caused by damage to the pancreas. The pancreas contains beta cells, which make insulin. With Type I diabetes, the deficiency of insulin is due to a decline in the number of beta cells the pancreas contains. It appears that certain genes make Type I diabetics more susceptible, but a triggering factor (usually a viral infection) sets it off. In most people with Type I diabetes, the immune system makes a mistake, attacking the beta cells and causing them to die. Without the beta cells, you cannot produce insulin. Glucose then builds up in the blood and causes diabetes.

Type I diabetes exhibits the following warning signs:

• Losing weight without trying

• An increased need to urinate

• Increased hunger

• Increased thirst

• Trouble seeing

• Feeling tired and/or

• Going into a coma.

For Type I diabetics, treatment usually consists of a healthy diet, exercise, and insulin shots to replace the insulin that your body no longer produces. Most insulin-dependent diabetics test their blood at least four times per day to monitor their blood’s glucose level. This is necessary to keep their blood glucose within certain limits. If blood glucose is not monitored, and if insulin levels are not kept in check, three things may happen:

1. Ketoacidosis – occurs when your blood glucose levels are highly elevated, by either eating too much or taking too little insulin, by stress or illness. In this case, there is too little insulin in the blood. Your body then begins breaking down fat for energy, producing chemicals called ketones. Ketones can make you throw up, have difficulty breathing, cause excessive thirst, cause dry, itchy skin, or even cause coma.

2. Hypoglycemia – occurs when blood glucose levels become too low. It can be cause by taking too much insulin, eating too little, skipping meals, eating at the wrong time, exercising too intensely or for too long, or by drinking alcohol on an empty stomach. If your blood glucose is too low you may feel hungry, confused, tired, shaky or nervous.

3. Complications – elevated glucose levels in the blood over time can hurt your organs. Diabetes can damage kidneys, eyes and nerves, and makes heart and blood vessel disease more likely. Diabetics can defend themselves from complications by keeping their glucose levels under control.

Type II Diabetes

Type II diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, with about 90% of diabetes falling into the Type II category. With Type II diabetes, glucose builds up in the blood – not because not enough insulin is present, but probably because cells lose their insulin receptors and become less sensitive to insulin. Type II diabetes usually (though not always) occurs in individuals who are over 40 years of age who are overweight.

Type II diabetes produces mild symptoms, and can be controlled with a healthy diet, exercise and weight loss. Type II diabetics should also monitor their glucose levels to be sure they are maintaining healthy levels. In some cases, weight loss, diet and exercise are not enough to control the glucose levels. In those cases, your physician may control your diabetes by prescribing diabetes pills or insulin shots.

Type II diabetes can cause three types of problems:

1. High Blood Sugar – high glucose levels in the blood are most likely when you’re sick or under a lot of stress. High blood sugar can cause you to have a headache, blurry vision, excessive thirst and an increased need to urinate, and cause dry, itchy skin. Though less of a problem with Type II diabetes, ketones can build up in the blood when Type II diabetics have symptoms of high blood sugar, or when they are sick.

2. Low Blood Sugar – When blood sugar falls to low you may feel tired, shaky, nervous, hungry or confused. It may be caused by taking too much diabetes medicine, eating too little or skipping meals, exercising too intensely or for too long, or from drinking alcohol without eating.

3. Complications – Elevated blood glucose over many years can hurt organs, including the eyes, kidneys, and eyes. It can also make heart and blood vessel disease more likely. The best defence against complications is a careful monitoring of blood glucose, a healthy diet and exercise.

Risks for Diabetes

• Individuals with parents or siblings with diabetes

• People over the age of 45

• People who are overweight

• People who do not exercise regularly

• People with low HDL cholesterol or high triglycerides

• Certain racial and ethnic groups (African Americans, Latinos, Asians and Native Americans)

• Women who had gestational diabetes or who had a baby weighing 9 pounds or more at birth.

Warning Signs of Diabetes

Type I:

• Frequent urination

• Unusual thirst

• Extreme hunger

• Unusual weight loss

• Extreme fatigue

Irritability *Type II:

• Any of the Type I symptoms

• Frequent infections

• Blurred vision

• Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal

• Tingling/numbness in the hands or feet

• Recurring skin, gum or bladder infections

History of Diabetes

Physicians have observed the effects of diabetes for thousands of years. For much of this time, little was known about this fatal disease that caused wasting away of the body, extreme thirst, and frequent urination. It wasn’t until 1922 that the first patient was successfully treated with insulin.

One of the effects of diabetes is the presence of glucose in the urine (glucosuria). Ancient Hindu writings, many thousands of years old, document how black ants and flies were attracted to the urine of diabetics. The Indian physician Sushruta in 400 B.C. described the sweet taste of urine from affected individuals, and for many centuries to come, the sweet taste of urine was key to diagnosis. A...