The Cause of Diabetes?

 

In a healthy persons’ body, glucose is released by the pancreas in small amounts in direct proportion to what you eat. When someone is diagnosed with diabetes, blood tests revealed that the blood sugar levels are out of balance.

 

The three types of diabetes are; type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.

 

Each of the three types of diabetes is caused by different circumstances.

 

Type 1 Diabetes also known as “childhood”, “juvenile” or “insulin-dependent diabetes

 

This type of diabetes is an autoimmune disorder which destructs the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. If this condition is untreated it can potentially be fatal.

 

Usually the condition is treated by injecting or inhaling insulin and dietary control, and careful monitoring of blood glucose levels at all times. 

  

With type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system will actually attack and destroy the insulin producing cells that are present in the pancreas, thereby causing diabetes.  This causes a person’s body to become deficient in glucose.  Type 1 diabetes is generally treated with insulin injections or insulin inhalers.  This type of diabetes is also known as ‘juvenile’ diabetes because it generally strikes when the patient is young. 

 

Type 2 Diabetes

 

The most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes.  Type 1 diabetes, as mentioned above, is an autoimmune disorder while type 2 diabetes is associated with inactivity and obesity.  Type 2 diabetes accounts for around 95% of all cases of diabetes in the United States. 

 

When a person has type 2 diabetes their pancreas ceases to produce insulin or it produces it in very small doses.  In certain cases individuals with type 2 diabetes may also be affected by insulin resistance.  When this happens, glucose that is produced by the pancreas builds up in the blood and is not recognized and absorbed by the patient’s body, causing this type of diabetes. 

 

There are many risk factors that a person can have which increases their risk and may a cause of diabetes.  These risks include obesity, inactive lifestyle, high-fat diet, high alcohol consumption, high blood pressure, ethnicity (certain ethnic groups are more prone to diabetes than others), age, and developing gestational diabetes. 

 

Type 2 diabetes may be treated with insulin, diabetes oral medication, and diet and exercise.  In many cases a patient will be treated with a combination of these methods.  Typically, type 2 diabetes can be controlled to a certain degree with diet and exercise. 

 

Gestational Diabetes

 

Gestational diabetes occurs in around 4% of women who are pregnant.  Due to the hormones released, during a pregnancy a woman may experience higher glucose levels.  If a woman’s pancreas cannot accommodate these changes, it will cause diabetes.  

 

Some of the risk factors for gestation diabetes include being overweight when becoming pregnant, having a family history of diabetes, being a member of a high-risk ethnic group, previously being diagnosed with gestational diabetes, having glucose in your urine, and previously giving birth to a baby over 9 pounds or a stillborn baby. 

 

 

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