Diabetic Seniors » Signs & Symptoms

Diabetes Education: Signs and Symptoms

DiabeticSeniors.com — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:27:07 +0000

In America today, 23.6 million people — 7.8 percent of the population — have diabetes, and 24 percent of them don’t even know they have the disease. Approximately 90 percent of those 23.6 million diabetics have type 2 diabetes. In addition, another 57 million have prediabetes, a condition that, if it goes untreated, can develop into type 2 diabetes. These are startling statistics. The bad news is that the incidence of newly diagnosed cases of diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, is rising. The good news is that diabetes education can help lower those statistics. One element of diabetic education that’s important is how to recognize the signs and symptoms of diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes and Prediabetes

Because they lack diabetes education, many people think diabetes is all about sugar. Actually, diabetes is all about insulin, a hormone that allows the cells in your body to absorb the sugar in your blood. In type 1 diabetes, your body stops producing insulin. In type 2 diabetes, your cells develop a resistance to insulin. The results from both types of diabetes is that excess sugar is left in your blood, which raises your blood sugar level and brings on diabetes.

In prediabetes, your blood sugar level is higher than normal but too low to be classified as diabetic. Diabetes education is particularly important for detecting prediabetes, because type 2 diabetes is preventable. If you can be diagnosed as prediabetic early enough, you can take steps to lower your blood sugar level and hopefully avert the disease.

Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes

In type 1 diabetes, the signs and symptoms come on suddenly, sometimes within hours or a couple of days. In type 2 diabetes, they develop gradually over the course of several years. Because the signs and symptoms are subtle, you might not notice them unless you learned about them through diabetes education. In many cases, the signs and symptoms are similar:

Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes
Type 1	Type 2
Frequent urination	Frequent urination
Frequent thirst	Frequent thirst
Extreme hunger	Extreme hunger
Losing weight suddenly, sometimes even when your appetite has increased	Losing weight gradually, even though your appetite has increased
Being weak and tired constantly	Being weak and tired constantly
Being irritable	Being irritable
	Having blurred vision
	Getting cuts and bruises that heal slowly
	Having tingling sensations in your hands and feet
	Having skin, gum or bladder infections that keep recurring

By teaching you what signs and symptoms to look for, diabetes education helps you recognize type 1 and type 2 diabetes early enough to do something about it before the condition worsens.

Diabetes Symptoms

DiabeticSeniors.com — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 03:13:00 +0000

You went to the doctor because you were dealing with nausea, weakness and having trouble breathing-otherwise you thought you were perfectly healthy. However, at your doctor’s visit, your physician did some blood work, and before you could blink, you received the news that would change your lifestyle—permanently. The results were in, and those problems were not a lingering stomach virus, they were actually the symptoms of type 2 Diabetes. As you sat in shock, your doctor began discussing other diabetic symptoms and you realized you had experienced other symptoms of diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetic Symptoms

Lack of energy- This tiredness is due to the body’s inability to created energy from the foods you eat.
Weight loss- although most of us could stand to lose a few pounds, rapid unexplained weight loss is frequently a symptom of diabetes.
Frequent urination and excessive thirst/dry mouth- This is a result of high blood glucose levels, or hyperglycemia. The body attempts to remove the excess glucose which means you make multiple trips to the restroom followed by repeated thirst which results in more bathroom visits and more drinks—a vicious cycle and a Type 2 Diabetes symptom.
Constant hunger- Since the body is not being energized by blood glucose; it thinks you need to eat more. Unfortunately, glucose levels aren’t the cause, but the body’s inability to use the existing glucose is.
Blurred vision- When your body has an excess amount of glucose, it is not uncommon for the glucose to build up in the eye’s fluids. The glucose pulls water with it, the eye’s outer lids become swollen and your eyesight is distorted. This diabetes symptom is quite often “discovered” at your optometrist office and then referred to your regular physician. However, don’t worry, once you begin following your diabetes diet and guidelines, your vision will return to its normal status.
Additional diabetes symptoms are nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, weakness, numbness in the hands or feet, or frequent infections of the skin, urinary tract or vagina. More serious Type 2 Diabetes symptoms include a condition known as diabetic ketoacidosis or going into a diabetic coma. These symptoms of diabetes happen when the body uses retained fat in place of glucose in order to have an energy source.

It is important to understand that while these are symptoms of diabetes, they do not necessarily have to be present to be diagnosed with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes. (There are other factors as well—weight, genetics, high blood sugar) For some Type 2 diabetics, symptoms may be quite mild, so without routine testing, one may have diabetes for years without it being discovered. Unfortunately, this undiscovered disease can result in a variety of health problems that can affect the heart, one’s blood pressure, the eyes and the kidneys.

Consequently, if you are experiencing any of the aforementioned diabetic symptoms, then it would be in your best interest to schedule a physical, complete with blood work, as soon as possible. While a diagnosis of diabetes may not be what you would want to hear, you will be far better off knowing what is causing your symptoms.

Causes of Diabetes

DiabeticSeniors.com — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 02:47:00 +0000

Adult onset, insulin dependent, juvenile diabetes, Type 1, Type 2—sounds confusing and rightly so. However, to help sort things out some simplification in terminology is in order. Type 1 Diabetics, once called juvenile diabetes, are insulin dependent. People with Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult onset diabetes, are insulin resistant. Each type of Diabetes is caused by an assortment of factors; but may share some commonalities. It is important to understand what are not causes of diabetes. These factors include exposure to a diabetic, getting diabetes from food, or stress. Sometimes, when one is under stress or has an illness, Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes may be discovered, but the illness was not cause of the diabetes—those situations merely brought the problem to the surface.

Causes of Type 1 Diabetes:

Before discussing the causes of Type 1 Diabetes, it helps to understand what it is. Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune response which means little or no insulin is produced in the body because the body’s immune system destroys insulin producing cells in the pancreas.

Type 1 Diabetes causes:

Genetics- if either of your parents have/had diabetes you are more likely to become a diabetic. Race is also a diabetic factor as some races are more inclined toward diabetes.

Autoantibody-Special proteins produced by the lymph nodes which recognize their own cells. For the Type 1 diabetic, the autoantibodies recognize 3 markers—islet cells which are found in the pancreas, insulin, and glutamic acid decarboxylas (GAD), a protein made by the pancreas.

Viruses- Often, those who are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes have had recent bouts of viral infections like polio, measles, or mumps. There are several theories as to why those infections are causes of Type 1 diabetes, but the exact connection is not yet deduced.

Cow’s Milk- Studies have shown that children who have cow’s milk early in life (3-4 months) have a greater risk for developing Type 1 Diabetes.

Oxygen Free Radicals (OFR)-Research shows that the OFR are broken down by islet cell’s low enzyme levels and can be a cause of Type 1 Diabetes.

Chemical and drugs-Laboratory studies show that prescription drugs like pentamidine which is and L-asparaginase can cause Type 1 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes Causes:

The main difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes is the insulin production. Type 1 diabetics do not produce insulin and Type 2 produces t, but the body does not receive it. Researchers do not fully understand why Type 2 occurs, but they have been able to narrow down some of the causes of Type 2 Diabetes.

Genetics- Type 2 also seems to run in families as well as being more prevalent in Native Americans, Mexican Americans, African Americans and Asian Americans.

Age, obesity and lifestyle- A sedentary lifestyle frequently results in being overweight/obese which often leads to Type 2 diabetes. In addition, while Type 2 is more common in people over 55, the inactive lifestyle of today is lowering that age at an alarming rate.

As you see, causes of diabetes may be varies. However, if you already have 2-3 of the diabetic causes, don’t despair. While you can’t change your genetics, you can determine to get the most out of life—so watch what you eat, stay active, and get regular checkups. Now you know what the causes of diabetes are, and that can make a difference, for you and those around you.

Diabetes Statistics and Facts

DiabeticSeniors.com — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:55:37 +0000

The incidence of diabetes is increasing in the United States. The most recent diabetes statistics show that 23.6 million adults and children — 7.8 percent of the population — have the disease. What’s more, 24 percent of those 23.6 million people don’t even know they have it! Another 57 million people have pre-diabetes, which can develop into type 2 diabetes.

Information, though, can be a powerful tool to prevent or control diabetes. The more diabetes statistics and facts you know, the more likely you will be to recognize the signs of the disease or take steps in not getting type 2 diabetes. If you have been diagnosed as diabetic, knowing facts and statistics on diabetes can help you control the disease effectively.

Differences between Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, and Prediabetes

Type 2 diabetes usually strikes adults who are 45 and over. But according the most recent diabetes statistics, the incident of type 2 diabetes in children and young adults is increasing. Statistics on diabetes also show that prediabetes is increasing as well. Even though type 1 diabetes is unpreventable, type 2 diabetes is preventable even in its prediabetes stage. The common feature among these three conditions is that your body’s blood sugar increases above its normal level. The differences are:

Type 1 Diabetes — Your pancreas stops producing the insulin your body needs to help your cells absorb blood sugar. So the excess sugar remains in your body, creating a high blood sugar level.
Type 2 Diabetes — Your cells develop a resistance to insulin, which prevents them from absorbing blood sugar. The excess sugar stays in your body and elevates your blood sugar level.
Prediabetes — Your blood sugar level is higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes.

The Fatality of the Two Diseases

Some people think that developing diabetes — especially type 1 diabetes — is the same thing as being given a death sentence. But diabetes statistics prove that they’re dead wrong. It is true that all people with type 1 diabetes and some with type 2 diabetes have to take insulin every day for the rest of their lives. But as long as they take their insulin and take good care of themselves, they can live long, productive and happy lives.

Recognizing the Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes

According to the most recent diabetes statistics, roughly 90 percent of diabetics have type 2 diabetes and only around 10 percent have type 1 diabetes. The reason for these lopsided statistics on diabetes is because type 1 diabetes strikes dramatically, usually in the matter of hours or a couple of days, so its symptoms are easy to recognize. Type 2 diabetes, though, develops gradually over several years, so its symptoms are difficult to recognize – so hard, in fact, that few people realize they have type 2 diabetes until it is discovered during a routine blood test or a visit to the doctor for an unrelated problem.

The Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes

The increases that the diabetes statistics show in prediabetes and type 2 diabetes can be decreased quite easily. While type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that cannot be prevented, type 2 diabetes comes from living an unhealthy lifestyle by:

Overindulging in foods such as ones high in carbohydrates, fast foods, fatty foods, salty foods, and foods and drinks — especially soft drinks — that contain high levels of high fructose corn syrup
Not exercising regularly
Being overweight

By living a healthier lifestyle and getting periodic blood sugar tests, you can help lower the statistics on diabetes.