by Melissa Kyd

Created on: April 04, 2008   Last Updated: May 13, 2008

Diabetes: Symptoms and Treatment

What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease that occurs when the body cannot regulate the levels of glucose, causing high blood sugar levels. Glucose, sourced from carbohydrates and starches, provides energy to the body's muscles and organs. Diabetes sufferers are no longer able to process glucose correctly. This occurs when the body produces no insulin as with Type 1 diabetes, or when it is not producing enough or not recognising it, as in Type 2 diabetes.

There are 3 types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes has been known in the past as juvenile onset diabetes, presenting during childhood or adolescence. Type 2 diabetes has been known as mature onset diabetes and Gestational diabetes occurs in women during pregnancy.
The American Diabetes Association states that "20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7% of the population" have diabetes. It is also estimated that "6.2 million people (or nearly one-third) are unaware that they have the disease".

The differences between the types
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetics are those unable to produce insulin, a hormone made in the pancreas that regulates the amount of glucose or sugar in the blood. This illness usually begins in childhood or adolescence, although onset is possible at any age. Type 1 diabetes is caused by an auto-immune disorder that causes the body to attack its own pancreatic cells. These are the cells that produce insulin, and when the body stops producing insulin, glucose accumulates and can not be transported via the blood for energy.

Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetics suffer from a condition where the body produces to little insulin, or ignores the insulin produced. This is the most common from of diabetes and can affect people of all ages, but the American Diabetes Association notes the groups most at risk are "African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, as well as the aged population". Type 2 diabetes usually occurs in those over 30, and it is more common amongst overweight or obese people. As with Type 1 diabetes, the sufferers have problems with getting enough energy, and can also be at risk of damage to the eyes, kidneys and heart.

Gestational diabetes
When a woman unexpectedly develops high glucose levels whilst pregnant, she is suffering from gestational diabetes. It is believed the condition occurs if the hormones that assist the baby's development somehow prevent the insulin from functioning as normal. This is called

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