Healthy Living with Diabetes

Diabetes • Is a disease (or a disorder) that occurs when the blood sugar is chronically high. • There is no cure for diabetes, but in most cases it can be controlled with proper medication and adopting a healthy lifestyle. • A disease characterized by a lack of insulin production, or the body's inability to use the insulin it produces properly. • In diabetes, blood glucose levels rise to abnormal levels, which can cause a host of symptoms and complications. Insulin • is a hormone produced by the pancreas. • This hormone regulates the glucose level in the blood. Type I Diabetes • When an individual’s body fails to produce enough insulin, this person will have to take insulin (oral or injection) to regulate his blood-glucose level, then this person is said to have Type I diabetes. Type II Diabetes • Type II diabetes is non-insulin dependent and can be controlled with significant lifestyle changes and drugs other than insulin. • In this type of diabetes the receptors on cells in the body that normally respond to the action of insulin fail to be stimulated by it - this is known as insulin resistance. • In the last decade or so, children and adolescents have began to develop diabetes. • This development is closely tied to obesity and sedentary lifestyle. -Can develop during pregnancy -it does leave women more prone to developing type 2 diabetes later in life -It typically disappears after the baby is delivered Diagnosis • • Fasting blood sugar test. A blood sample will be taken after an overnight fast. Oral glucose tolerance test. For this test, you fast overnight, and the fasting blood sugar level is measured. Then you drink a sugary liquid, and blood sugar levels are tested periodically for the next two hours. Symptoms of Diabetes • • • • • • • • The need to urinate more than usual Constant thirst Unusual weight loss Feeling weak or tired Blurred vision Tingling or numbness in hands or feet Cuts and bruises that are slow to heal Difficulty with erections in men, and unusual vaginal dryness in women • Extreme hunger • Feeling nauseated and vomiting • Frequent and recurring infections such as urinary tract infections body's hints seriously If you notice any possible diabetes signs or symptoms, contact your doctor. Diabetes is a serious condition, and the earlier it's diagnosed, the sooner treatment Causes of Diabetes • certain medicines • pregnancy (gestational diabetes) • any illness or disease that damages the pancreas and affects its ability to produce insulin • genetics may play a part in all types of diabetes mellitus. • obesity Long-term Complications • Diabetes complications may be disabling or even life-threatening. • Heart and blood vessel disease: including coronary artery disease with chest pain (angina), heart attack, stroke, narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and high blood pressure. • Osteoporosis: may lead to lower than normal bone mineral density, increasing your risk of osteoporosis. • Nerve damage: excess sugar can injure the walls of the tiny blood vessels that nourish your nerves. Long-term Complications • Kidney damage: the kidneys contain millions of tiny blood vessel clusters that filter waste from your blood. Diabetes can damage this delicate filtering system. Severe damage can lead to kidney failure, requiring a kidney transplant. • Eye damage: damage its blood vessels, potentially leading to blindness. • Foot damage: nerve damage in the feet or poor blood flow to the feet increases the risk of various foot complications. Left untreated, cuts can become serious infections that require toe, foot or even leg amputation. • • • • Lifestyle changes can help reduce the symptoms and complications associated with .diabetes Reduce overweight level; Increase daily physical activity level; Reduce dietary fat intake; Increase intake of complex carbohydrates; and • Decrease total daily calorie intake Obesity is a known risk factor for chronic diseases such as• diabetes, which affects the way the body uses energy from sugar .and other foods .of type II diabetes related to obesity % 80 •