Diabetes is an endocrine or hormonal disease that affects the metabolism of food energy in the body. This occurs when the hormone insulin is not produced in normal amounts or is not effective in carrying glucose or sugar from the blood into the cells of the body. If left untreated diabetes can cause serious complications. Early diagnosis and treatment is important to prevent severe damage to the body. Recognizing symptoms of diabetes helps to accurately diagnose and control the disease.
Types
The Canadian Diabetes Association explains that there are three main types of diabetes. Type 1 generally begins in childhood and adolescence and occurs because the pancreas ceases to produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes is caused by insufficient production of insulin or a loss of sensitivity to this hormone by the body. Almost 90 percent of individuals with diabetes have type 2, which usually occurs in adulthood but is becoming more prevalent in high-risk children. The third type is gestational diabetes, a temporary disorder that occurs in about 2 percent to 4 percent of pregnant women. Gestational diabetes increases the risk that the mother and child will develop chronic diabetes.
Causes
The causes of diabetes vary depending on the type of disease. However, all types of diabetes are linked to insufficient production of or resistance to the hormone insulin. Insulin resistance occurs when the fat, muscle and tissue cells of the body do not respond normally to insulin, which is supposed to transport glucose from the blood into the cells. The University of Maryland Medical Center underlines that all types of diabetes can occur or worsen with certain risk factors.
Risk Factors
The Canadian Diabetes Association advises that individuals over the age of 40 years should be tested for type 2 diabetes approximately every three years. However, if an individual has one or more risk factors for diabetes, testing should be done more often. Diabetes risk factors include family history, excess weight and obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, a history of gestational diabetes, poor nutrition and low levels of physical activity. Certain ethnic groups are also at higher risk for developing diabetes. These include aboriginal, African, Hispanic, Asian and Southeast Asian groups.
Early Symptoms
Early symptoms of diabetes can help to diagnose the disease quickly and prevent or reduce complications. Some individuals may not experience noticeable symptoms, but common signs include fatigue, lack of energy, tiredness, severe thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision and numbness or tingling in the hands or feet. Individuals with any of these symptoms can undergo diagnostic tests at a physician’s office to check for diabetes.
Complications
Diabetes is a chronic and most often, incurable, disease that affects every body system and can cause severe complications if it is not carefully uncontrolled. The MayoClinic.com lists complications of diabetes such as heart disease, hypertension or high blood pressure, kidney disease, nerve damage, eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma, erectile dysfunction and impotence.
