diabetes

Diabetes (diabetes mellitus) is defined as a metabolic disorder that causes your body to be unable to properly produce insulin and regulate its blood sugar levels.

Major Causes of Diabetes

• Type 1 diabetes - comes from some type of immunological event that destroys the inability of the pancreas to secrete insulin.
• Type 2 diabetes - happens when either the pancreas is not making enough insulin or the body has grown resistant to it and the cells can’t use the glucose.
• Gestational diabetes - occurs when a woman is pregnant and is caused from certain hormones that are present during pregnancy.
• Heredity - a person can be genetically predisposed to diabetes.
• Age – 80% of diabetes cases occur after the age of 50.
• Malnutrition or poor diet – Lack of nutrition, low intake of fiber and protein, plus the high intake of processed and refined food products are major reasons for diabetes.
• Obesity – Too much fat in your body can make the cells resistant to the insulin.
• Inactive Lifestyle – Those who have sedentary lifestyles are more likely to have diabetes.
• Stress – Emotional or physical disturbances can change the glucose levels and affect your metabolism.
• Drugs – There are several drugs that are known to potentially induce diabetes including Quetiapine (Seroquel), clozapine (Clozaril), ziprasidone (Geodon), risperidone (Risperdal), and olanzapine (Zyprexa)
• Infection – Straphylococci is supposedly responsible for causing infection in the pancreas thus affecting insulin production.
• Gender – Diabetes is more common in elderly men or women with multiple pregnancies or those suffering from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.
• Hypertension – Studies have shown that high blood pressure is directly related to diabetes.
• Lipoproteins and Serum lipids – High cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood are connected to high blood sugar levels.

Facts About Diabetes

• 25.8 million children and adults in the United States—8.3% of the population—had diabetes as of 2011.
• 79 million people are prediabetic.
• Diabetes contributed to over 230,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2007.
• Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes.
• Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness among adults aged 20–74.
• Diabetes is the leading cause of renal failure.
• Symptoms of diabetes include thirst, weight loss, tiredness, hunger and frequent urination.
• Treatment of diabetes includes insulin, either in injections or pill form.