Diabetes

Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the US.

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Diabetes is a group of diseases characterized by high blood sugar/ blood glucose.

There are 2 primary types of diabetes.  Type I & Type II

Type I Diabetes accounts for less than 10% of the cases in the US.

Type II Diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions in the US.  Up to 54 million Americans have Type II Diabetes.

Type I Diabetes is related to a defect in insulin secretion. The pancreas does not produce sufficient insulin

  • Type 1 diabetes used to be known as insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes however type 1 diabetes can be diagnosed with people in their 40s and 50s
  • Type 1 diabetes accounts for only 5% to 10% of all diabetes
  • Type 1 diabetes is most prevalent in northern Europeans.
  • Insulin was first used in the 1920s. Prior to 1920 people with type 1 diabetes did not have a treatment and died as result of type 1 diabetes.
  • Biotech giant Genentech produced the first synthetic Insulin in 1983.
  

 

Type II Diabetes is a defect in insulin action. Sufficient insulin is produced by the Pancreas but the the insulin receptors of the cells are not able to utilize the Insulin

  • Insulin resistance is the inability of the cell to properly utilize insulin to metabolize blood sugar
    • The cellular receptor is not able to utilize insulin.
  • Type 2 diabetes is much more common.
  • 90% of all cases of Diabetes, up to one third of the persons in the United States suffer from type 2 diabetes do not know.  !/3 of the US population suffers from high blood sugar and many do not know it.
  • The strongest risk factors for type 2 diabetes are a family history or overweight.
  • Type 2 diabetes is more prevalent in some ethnic groups and others. African-Americans, Hispanic Americans Asian-Americans.
  • Generally people with Type II Diabetes will go to the doctor with a complain about their feet are their eyes and that is when they learn that they have Type II Diabetes
  • The majority of people who develop type 2 diabetes are overweight
  • Type 2 diabetes used to be considered adult onset diabetes. in 2008 approximately more and more children are being diagnosed with Type II Diabetes
  • Persons that have high cholesterol, hypertension and high high triglycerides and low HDL are candidates to develop type 2 diabetes
  • Heart, cholesterol, hypertension approximately 65% of the population with type 2 diabetes will die from cardiac complications. Once a person is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes lipids and cholesterol need to be closely monitored.
  • Many with type 2 diabetes use insulin also
  • in 1990 type 2 diabetes was diagnosed in about 5% of the population.
  • By 2008 the population of some regions of the United States are experiencing up to 10% type 2 diabetes.
  • The southern United States is the area with the highest rates of type 2 diabetes. Part of this could be due to the increase in Hispanic population in this area and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and the Hispanic population.
  

A 3rd Type of Diabetes is Gestational Diabetes or the Diabetes of Pregnancy

Blood sugar testing.

  • Fasting blood sugar normal is under a hundred pre-pre-diagnosis diabetes is 101 25 and type 2 diabetes is a over 126
  • Random blood glucose, or not fasting blood glucose, is under 140.
  • Prediabetes is not a diagnosis of diabetes but it does represent a person who is tending towards diabetes. Diabetes is diagnosed is 126 or higher fasting
  • Prediabetes is a new term it used to be referred to as impaired fasting diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance.
  • Impaired glucose tolerance was not getting the public's attention to what is now referred to as prediabetes.
  • Current estimates, 2007, is at least 54 million Americans are classified as prediabetes.
  • It is expected that a majority of these 54 million Americans will eventually develop type 2 diabetes.
  • The best way to stop prediabetes from becoming type 2 diabetes is educating the prediabetes person about exercise, diet.
  • Lifestyle modifications, dietary changes and exercise, are extremely effective in preventing prediabetes from becoming type 2 diabetes.
  • If type 2 diabetes is present in the family and children are chubby there is a good can't chance they will develop type 2 diabetes.