DIABETES

What is diabetes? 

Diabetes is the condition in which the body does not properly process food for use as energy. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose,or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn't make enough insulin or can't use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugars to build up in your blood.This is why many people refer to diabetes as “sugar.” 

What are the symptoms of diabetes? 

People who think they might have diabetes must visit a physician for diagnosis. They might have SOME or NONE of the following symptoms: 

• Frequent urination 
• Excessive thirst 
• Unexplained weight loss 
• Extreme hunger 
• Sudden vision changes 
• Tingling or numbness in hands or feet 
• Feeling very tired much of the time 
• Very dry skin 
• Sores that are slow to heal 
• More infections than usual 

Nausea, vomiting, or stomach pains may accompany some of these symptoms in the abrupt onset of insulin-dependent diabetes, now called Type 1 diabetes.   

What are the types of diabetes? 

Type1

Type 1 diabetes, previously called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes, may account for 5 percent to 10 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is characterized by a lack of insulin production.Risk factors are less well defined for Type 1 diabetes than for Type 2 diabetes, but autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors are involved in the development of this type of diabetes.

Type2

Type 2 diabetes was previously called non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes. Type 2 diabetes results from the body’s ineffective use of insulin. About 90% of people with diabetes around the world have type 2. It is largely the result of excess body weight and physical inactivity.

Health implications

Elevated blood sugar is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes, and over time can damage the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves. Some health complications from diabetes include:

• Diabetic retinopathy is a significant cause of blindness, and occurs as a result of long-term accumulated damage to the small blood vessels in the retina. After 15 years of diabetes about 10% of patients develop severe visual impairment.
• Diabetic neuropathy is damage to the nerves as a result of diabetes, and affects up to 50% of people with diabetes. Common symptoms are tingling, pain, numbness, or weakness in the feet and hands.
• Combined with reduced blood flow, neuropathy in the feet increases the chance of foot ulcers and eventual limb amputation.
• Diabetes is among the leading causes of kidney failure; 10-20% of people with diabetes die of kidney failure.
• Diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke; 50% of people with diabetes die of cardiovascular disease (primarily heart disease and stroke). 

The Economic Implications

Diabetes and its complications impose significant economic consequences on individuals, families, health systems and countries.

People living with diabetes and their families feel the impact of diabetes most directly, often through the expenses of diabetes treatment and loss of family income when diabetes interferes with work.

Prevention

Without urgent action, diabetes-related deaths will increase by more than 50% in the next 10 years. To help prevent type 2 diabetes and its complications, people should:

• Achieve and maintain healthy body weight.
• Be physically active - at least 30 minutes of regular, moderate-intensity activity on most days. 
• Early diagnosis can be accomplished through relatively inexpensive blood testing.
• Treatment of diabetes involves lowering blood sugar and the levels of other known risk factors that damage blood vessels. 
• Tobacco cessation is also important to avoid complications.

Control of diabetes

People with type 1 diabetes require insulin; people with type 2 diabetes can be treated with oral medication, but may also require insulin.

• Blood pressure control
• Food care

Other cost saving interventions include:

• Screening and treatment for retinopathy (which causes blindness);
• Blood lipid control (to regulate cholesterol levels);
• Screening for early signs of diabetes-related kidney disease and treatment.

These measures should be supported by a healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight and avoiding tobacco use. 

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