There are three major diabetes types – type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes – affecting people today. A cure is not immediately on the horizon, but treatments for all are here today.
According to the data received from National Diabetes Statistics Fact Sheet, diabetes is one of the most common diseases today. Nearly 20 million people in the U.S. currently suffer from diabetes related problems. That is over 7% of the entire population in the United States. It used to be thought that diabetes would only occur in the elderly population. But, today, it is striking people of all ages.
Although diabetes has ubiquitously spread all over the world, many people do not have access to the basic diabetes facts. Here are some of the facts:
Diabetes refers to a condition or disease of metabolism. Metabolism is the specific way following which our body uses absorbed food for growth and energy. A majority of the absorbed food content is broken down into glucose which is the element of sugar within the blood. Glucose is considered as the major source of fuel within our system.
After the digestion process occurs, glucose is then passed to the bloodstream where it is then utilized by cells for the purpose of growth and energy production. In order to get absorbed into the cells, insulin hormone produced by pancreas should be present. People suffering from diabetes have either little or no insulin present. In return, glucose builds up in the blood and it overflows in the urine.
Type 1 VS Type 2 Diabetes
There are essentially three major types of diabetes. These are type I, type II and gestational. Type I diabetes is a kind of autoimmune disease, which means this disease causes the immune system to turn against a particular organs of the body. An individual suffering from type I diabetes must be on insulin administration throughout lifespan.
Type II diabetes is the most common type. Nearly 90-95% people having diabetes suffer from diabetes type II. As the standard diabetes info suggests about 80% individuals suffering from diabetes type II disease are overweight or obese. Diabetes type II is increasingly occurring among children and adolescents, however, it is also prevalent among older adults.
Gestational diabetes is common among women later in pregnancy phase. Nearly 3-8% pregnant women suffer from gestational diabetes in the United States. Hormonal imbalance and shortage of insulin are the major causes for developing gestational diabetes, as suggested by different diabetes info.
If you consult medical journals and publications concerning diabetes info, you can see that diabetes is one of the leading causes of serious health hazards in the United States. In fact, National Diabetes Statistics Fact Sheet suggests that diabetes was the 6th leading cause of mortality in the United States in the year 2002. However, prevalently diabetes was underreported as the underlying causes of mortality in majority of the cases. Nearly 65% and over death cases are pointed as heart problem or stroke, which are highly co-morbid with diabetes.
Diabetes can cause serious health complications including stroke, blindness, liver and kidney disease, heart and blood vessel disease, amputations and nerve damage. If diabetes is not diagnosed and treated earlier, it may create serious complications during pregnancy and lead to birth defects and premature death as well.