Define Diabetes

Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a disease in which your body does not use or produce insulin properly. Insulin is an important hormone necessary for the absorption of blood sugar, also known as glucose. If there is too much glucose in your blood, it can lead to serious health complications.

Types

• Type 1 is the least common, affecting less than 10 percent of those diagnosed, while type 2 is the most common, at more than 90 percent. Gestational occurs in about 4 percent of all pregnant women, sometimes recurring in future pregnancies. It usually resolves itself after childbirth, but can also increase your chances of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

Causes

• Type 1 diabetes occurs suddenly when your immune system attacks and destroys the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. Type 2 diabetes develops over time and results when your cells become resistant to insulin. Gestational diabetes can appear relatively quickly, and is also a resistance to insulin, caused by hormones produced by the placenta.

Symptoms

• Symptoms for all three types of diabetes are similar, although the severity of them can vary depending upon which type of diabetes you have. The most common signs are increased thirst and urination, extreme hunger and fatigue.

Diagnosis

• To diagnose diabetes, the glucose level in your blood is measured by taking a blood sample. Depending upon the specific test, you will be either asked to fast for a period of time or eat normally. Abnormally high blood glucose levels may indicate diabetes, with a second test performed on a different day to confirm.

Treatments

• Type 1 diabetics must take daily insulin injections as their bodies make none of the hormone. Type 2 diabetics produce some insulin, and can control their sugar levels with proper diet and exercise, sometimes requiring additional medication depending upon the severity of their disease. Gestational diabetes is usually controlled through diet and exercise.