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Diabetes has acquired its name from the Greek word "siphon". Diabetes is a disorder of the metabolism and the endocrine system, and is a blood-related disease.

It has two forms:
Diabetes mellitus (from the Greek word for sugar) and Diabetes insipidus. The main causes of this disorder are that either the body does not produce enough insulin, as happens in type 1 diabetes, or it does not use the available insulin in a proper manner, as in type 2 diabetes.
Insulin is a hormone that helps the body to convert glucose into energy.

The factors which contribute to diabetes include lack of exercise, excessive weight, age, poor diet and, most importantly, genetics.

The symptoms of diabetes are fatigue, as the body does not get enough energy due to non-absorption of glucose, unquenchable thirst due to frequent urination, and weakening of the eyesight as a consequence of loss of excess body fluid in the form of urine. A diabetic person is also susceptible to frequent infections, like urinary tract infections, colds and flu.

Another symptom is a tingling or burning feeling in the hands and feet. Most of the time, diabetes goes unchecked because the symptoms are harmless.

A number of tests have been devised to help find out if you are diabetic. The fasting plasma glucose test, done in the morning, is a relatively cheap and easy test. It measures the blood sugar levels when one is not eating.

The random plasma glucose test does not require fasting and can be done at any time. This type of test is the easiest and does not require any preparation.

The oral glucose tolerance test involves checking blood glucose while fasting and then asking the patient to drink a super-sweet solution, after which the test is repeated, the results are compared to the standard, and if your reading is higher than normal, then you have diabetes.

Other tests involve glycated hemoglobin, urine tests and finger-prick tests.

It is sad that diabetes is a life-long disease. Even if you undergo treatment in the form of medication, diet change and exercise, to get your sugar levels under control, you are still diabetic.

Complications of Diabetes

There can be both long-term and short-term complications.

Short-term complications may include frequent infections. A person with diabetes has a weakened ability to use white blood cells to fight infection. To make the problem worse, when a patient with diabetes has an infection, it makes blood sugar levels even harder to control.

Diabetic patients will have hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar several times during the disease. This usually results after taking too much insulin, exercising more than usual, missing a meal, or drinking too much alcohol. Hypoglycemia must be understood and recognized. Be prepared to treat it always. Headaches, dizziness, lack of concentration, trembling hands, and excessive sweating are common signs of hypoglycemia. If blood sugar gets too low, you could pass out, or have a seizure. This is a serious complication and you should know how to help the person having an insulin reaction.

A serious complication of Type 2 diabetes is hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome. This complication happens when the blood sugar levels are dangerously high. The body tries to get rid of the blood sugar by removing it through increased urination. This leads to severe dehydration that can cause seizures, coma, and death. This complication can be brought on by stress, injury to the body, stroke, and the use of steroids.

Long-term complications include blindness. Damage is done to the retina by diabetes and is the leading cause of blindness. Kidney damage from diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure in the United States.

People with diabetes already are at higher risk of cardiovascular problems, kidney disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels. Arteries building up with fatty plaques can cause peripheral vascular disease or decreased circulation in the arms and legs. Damage can be caused to the nerves in the nervous system. This can lead to chronic diarrhea, uncontrollable heart rate, high blood pressure, and paralysis of the stomach.

One of the scariest complications is one I watched happen to my father. Because of nerve damage, the feet are sensitive and easily damaged by even a minor wound to the feet. Even a small cut from cutting the toenails can lead to huge problems. Because the feet are no longer sensitive because of nerve damage, a diabetic patient may not know they have a problem until it has created an ulcer where the wound is. This complication often leads to amputation. It might start with a toe that was injured and may lead to amputation of first the toe, because it is hard for any wound to heal, it may lead to further amputations. It could start with a toe, but may need more surgeries to remove more toes, the foot, and sometimes lead to removing the leg. A person with diabetes, should always walk with their feet covered, and be careful when they are grooming their toenails. A possible solution would be to have the toenails cut by a trained professional, either a visiting nurse or a licensed foot doctor.

Diabetes Medication

For type 2 diabetes it may be that no medication is required if changes to diet, exercise regimes and lifestyle allow the body to become self-regulating once again. However, if this is not the case, medication will need to be taken.

There are five different types of drug available that all work in slightly different ways to help the type 2 diabetes sufferer.

The alpha-glucosidase inhibitors work by affecting the way the body digests carbohydrates. These drugs are taken with every meal and actually slow down the digestion process of carbohydrates to prevent high levels of glucose entering the bloodstream. They have caused diarrhea in some patients.

Thiazolidinediones support the work of insulin at a cellular level. They also inhibit the release of glucose from the liver and so control glucose levels in the blood. These drugs are taken with food, although they are not required to be taken with every meal. Because these drugs alter the way the liver works it is important that they are taken under medical supervision and that regular liver function checks are made.

The Biguanide drugs also act on the liver and work to control glucose levels in the blood stream by decreasing the amount of glucose released by the liver. Once again, it is important that liver function is monitored whilst these drugs are being taken.

Meglitinides stimulate the insulin producing cells of the pancreas to release insulin. These drugs are usually taken immediately before every meal. There is an increased risk of hypoglycemia when these drugs are being taken as the pancreas may be stimulated into producing too much insulin which may cause blood sugar levels to fall too low.

Sulphonylureas also stimulate the pancreas to produce and release more insulin, so once again hypoglycemia can become a problem.
These drugs are only available to those with type 2 diabetes and it should be noted that pill treatments do not always work for everyone. This type of drug therapy seems to have the best chance of success with those who have just developed type 2 diabetes or with those who have only ever needed very small amounts of insulin to keep their glucose levels within acceptable limits. Oral medication is not prescribed to pregnant women and in these cases the diabetic mum-to-be must control her condition either through changes in diet or by taking insulin.
It should be noted that taking diabetes medication does not give the diabetic license to abandon all dietary controls. It is important to continue to test glucose levels and to eat a sensible, diabetic friendly, diet.
Sometimes the drugs are offered in combinations to enhance their effects e.g. a pancreas stimulant with a glucose inhibitor. This can be beneficial provided the side effects do not make the treatment unbearable.
These drugs can only work if the pancreas is still able to produce insulin. For those who have type 1 diabetes where their bodies produce no insulin at all, insulin replacement is required. In addition, insulin replacement or supplementation becomes necessary when drug therapy can no longer maintain glucose levels.


Please click on List of Diabetes Details to read about many different aspects of Diabetes.