Diabetes is an incurable
condition in which the body cannot control blood sugar levels, because of
problems with the hormone insulin. There are two main variations of the
illness, Type I and Type II.
How does the body control blood
sugar levels?
Your body uses blood sugar
(glucose) for energy. Glucose is a basic ingredient of sweet foods such as
sweets and cakes. It can also be produced by carbohydrates such as potatoes,
pasta or bread when they are digested and broken down.
Under normal circumstances, the
hormone insulin, which is made by your pancreas, carefully regulates how much
glucose is in the blood. Insulin stimulates cells all over your body to absorb
enough glucose from the blood to provide the energy, or fuel, that they need.
After a meal, the amount of
glucose in your blood rises, which triggers the release of insulin. When blood
glucose levels fall, during exercise for example, insulin levels fall too.
Types of diabetes
There are two main types of
diabetes. In Type 1 diabetes the cells of the pancreas stop making insulin. In
Type 2 diabetes, either the pancreas cells do not make enough insulin, or the
body's cells do not react properly to it. This is known as insulin resistance.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune
condition, and the immune system attacks the cells of the pancreas. It tends to
affect people before the age of 40, and often follows a trigger such as a viral
infection.
The exact mechanisms that lead to
Type 2 diabetes are not fully understood, but an underlying genetic
susceptibility is usually present. This could be a family history of the
illness, for example. The condition is then triggered by lifestyle factors -
such as obesity - and it usually appears in people over the age of 40.
If people living with Type 1
diabetes don't receive treatment they can develop very high blood sugar levels
- hyperglycaemia - within days. Because there is no insulin to drive the sugar
from the blood into the cells, the kidneys try to remove the excess glucose.
This leads to frequent urination, dehydration and intense thirst.
At the same time, the body starts
breaking down fat for fuel to counter the low levels of sugar available to the
cells. This leads to toxic levels of acids building up in the blood - a
life-threatening condition known as ketoacidosis.
Those with Type 1 can also suffer
a dangerous complication of treatment known as hypoglycaemia, which can cause a
coma. This occurs when blood sugar levels fall dangerously low as a result of
taking too much insulin, or sometimes by skipping a meal. The brain requires a
constant supply of glucose from the blood otherwise it can't function properly.
If treatment doesn't effectively
control high blood sugar levels, it leaves a person with diabetes more
vulnerable to infections. Over time it can also damage the small blood vessels
and nerves throughout the body, including the smaller vessels at the back of
the eye, which can result in blindness, and the kidneys, leading to kidney
failure.
Type 2 diabetes tends to develop
more gradually, which is one of the reasons why medical professionals think
that so many cases go undiagnosed.
In the long-term, diabetes raises
the risk of many conditions, including peripheral vascular disease (when the
arteries to the extremities are damaged by atherosclerosis) and peripheral
nerve damage. Together they can result in ulcers, infections, gangrene and
amputations. It can also increase the risk of impotence, heart attacks and
strokes.
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