Article by Dan Wilson

Diabetes is a complicated disease that requires close monitoring. But when it is properly treated, it can be managed and controlled. A diabetic can live a long and happy life even with the disease.

There are two main types of diabetes mellitus. Type 1 diabetes is often referred to as juvenile-onset diabetes. The second type is often called adult-onset diabetes or Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Both types are characterized by the body having issues with insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Though having varying pathologies in details, both conditions result in abnormalities in blood sugar levels in the patients.

In Type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. The pancreas loses its ability to produce the hormone because of autoimmunity, a condition which the body attacks itself. Therefore, the body attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin and destroys them. Type 1 diabetes is incurable. Its causes are hard to determine. Most scientists think there is a genetic or hereditary link. But, even if you do have the genes, there is still no certainty of you developing Type 1 diabetes. Often a trigger is needed, such as catching a virus.

One cannot prevent Type 1 diabetes from developing and one cannot predict for sure who will get it. Once diagnosed, it is there for life, and one must then treat it and learn to live with it. Fortunately, there are plenty of effective treatment options available. Treatments such as insulin injections that help keep control blood sugar levels and keep the patient healthy. An insulin pump can also be used to a great effect to control the levels of glucose for Type 1 diabetics.

Types of DiabetesLearn the different types of diabetes, its effects and the ways on how to prevent them.Childhood DiabetesYour children can be a victim of this devastating disease. Learn why children are becoming more prone to diabetes.Diabetes TreatmentLearn the different ways in treating diabetes in order to live a longer and happy life.

Article by Amabigleader

WINNER of the 2008 World Diabetes Day Young Voices video contest in NYC. Thanks to all who voted and viewed! Follow me on Twitter: @LWidbin FAQ: Do you both have diabetes?: No, just LW, but D-Zome is a friend of diabetics everywhere. How long has LW had diabetes?: Since June 27, 2000 Do you like the insulin pump?: Yes, I recommend it. What is your A1c?: 6.3 What is your favorite glucose tab flavor?: Fruit Punch Can you get diabetes from being bitten by the “beetis bird”?: No. ***DISCLAIMER: if a diabetic goes into a hyperglycemic coma, do not give him/her a glucagon shot. you will kill them. the glucagon is for LOW blood sugar, not high. we were just making a rap joke saying that up is down and down is up. The boys from IA are at it again with another rap parody! This beat from “independent” tells you all about LW’s medical problem. Edited and Directed by Luke Widbin. Video by Derrick Rensink, Drew Zomermaand, and Luke Widbin.

More Diabetes Articles

Type 2 Diabetes is the most common variety of the disease, accounting for as much as 90 percent of all cases of diabetes. It is a less serious condition than Type 1 Diabetes but still, if not managed properly, Type 2 Diabetes is a life-threatening condition. Although the body produces insulin, this insulin is not used to properly process sugars and as a result of this sugar levels rise and there is a risk of sugar shock, which can soon be followed by a coma.

Type 2 diabetes, like the other forms of diabetes is a blood disease. The composition of blood is altered, blood does not flow properly to all body parts and as a consequence of this it is not uncommon for diabetics to have different body parts amputated. Generally Type 2 Diabetes affects people over 40 but cases of diagnosing younger people, or even children, are constantly on the rise. All races and cultures are affected by Type 2 Diabetes.

The main causes of diabetes are hereditary factors and obesity. So, if you have a family history of diabetes, or if you had gestational diabetes during pregnancy, even if you still don’t show all the symptoms of diabetes, doing a couple of checks is a good idea because the earlier you diagnose diabetes, the better.

Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes is not so acute as Type 1 Diabetes, so you might never experience all the symptoms of diabetes but still if you feel constant fatigue, hunger and thirst and this has gone for a long time, consider having your sugar blood levels checked because all these symptoms are typical of hypoglycemia.

Besides lack of energy, hunger and thirst, Type 2 Diabetes is characterized by nervousness and frequent perspiration. Perspiration is especially acute at night, which often results in bad sleep and irritation on the next day.

Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes

Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes is relatively simple, especially in comparison to the treatment of Type 1 Diabetes. However, the fact that Type 2 Diabetes is a milder form of diabetes does not mean that you can forget about it. If Type 2 Diabetes is not treated for a long time, it can get pretty severe and eventually its complications are the same as those of Type 1 Diabetes.

The first step in treating Type 2 Diabetes is starting a diabetic diet, exercise and weight loss. Very often even these measures are absolutely enough to put diabetes under control. By starting a diabetic diet you decrease or even totally eliminate the intake of sugars, which directly decreases your blood sugar level. Exercise and weight loss stimulate your metabolism and can make your body again to respond properly to insulin.

The next step, if a diabetic diet, exercising and weight loss are not enough to manage your diabetes is medication. There are many oral medications that help in maintaining the proper blood sugar levels.

The final step in Type 2 Diabetes treatment is insulin intake. This is done only if the first two measures (a diabetic diet, exercise, weight loss and oral medications) are not delivering the desired results.

More Diabetes Articles

Type 1 Diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes is a chronic (life-long) diseases. Type 1 diabetes is a disorder of the immune system because the immune system gradually destroys all insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas, so eventually the organism becomes unable to produce insulin, which in turn leads to the inability of the organism to process sugars properly. As a result of this blood sugar levels rise significantly, which poses a danger to one’s health and life.

Although Type 1 is called juvenile diabetes, it can also affect adults. There have been cases when people over forty have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Still, the primary victims of Type 1 diabetes are children. What is worrying is that children in the developed countries are more and more often diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes or with the the other, more widely-spread form of diabetes – Type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is the more serious form of diabetes. This does not mean that Type 2 diabetes is harmless but still it is not so acute as Type 1. As already mentioned, Type 1 diabetes is insulin-dependent, which means that a Type 1 diabetic can’t survive without the intake of insulin. In many cases treatment of Type 1 diabetes starts with a special diet, exercise and a weight loss program and only after that insulin is prescribed.

Symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes

The symptoms of Type 1 diabetes are many and it is not always easy to guess that your child is having Type 1 diabetes. But if a child is showing even a few of the symptoms of diabetes, a consultation with a doctor is mandatory. You shouldn’t worry if high sugar blood levels are the main symptom your child is showing. Sometimes teenagers (especially if they are obese) have higher levels of blood sugar, which sometimes can be a pre-diabetes stage but most often it is just nothing abnormal.

On the other hand, it is always better to be on the safe side and go to a doctor, if you see the following symptoms:

Frequent fatigue. The lack of insulin in the body causes the glucose to go into the blood, rather than be absorbed by the cells, so the energy from the glucose can’t actually be used by the body and as a result of this one feels tired.

Excessive hunger. Since the glucose is not absorbed by the cells, the body feels hunger, even if one is eating frequently.

Frequent urination. The glucose, which is not absorbed by the cells is transformed into urine. Since there is much more glucose that needs to be transformed into urine, your visits to the toilet will become more frequent.

Excessive thirst. This is a direct consequence of the frequent urination.

Weight loss. Again, because glucose is not absorbed by the body but is thrown out, you might feel hungry all the time, eat a lot and despite this you will lose weight.

Low healing power. This is a very typical symptom of Type 1 diabetes. When you have a wound, it takes ages to heal.

Blurred vision, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, lack of menstruation in women or impotence in men. These are some of the other symptoms that are often related to diabetes, though most of them can be due to many different diseases or might not be a symptom of whatsoever disease.

Treatment of Type 1

Both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes are chronic diseases, so actually they can’t be cured but you can manage diabetes and live decades on end with it. Type 1 diabetes is more severe and in addition to diet and life-style changes, regular insulin intake is vital. Treatment is carried on in the form of insulin injections. One of the most important things to watch out for is to avoid complications like cardiovascular disease and stroke. But after you learn how to live with diabetes, you will see that it is not so difficult for a Type 1 diabetic to lead a normal life!

What is Type 1 Diabetes? www.clearlyhealth.com