Diabetes is a very
common disease in the Western World
which is increasing due to our bad
lifestyles, i.e. over-eating, little or
no exercise, and high fat diets leading
to cholesterol and triglyceride
problems; it is also made worse by a
person’s age and genetic predisposition.
It is a chronic disease which occurs
either when not enough insulin is
produced by the pancreas or if that
insulin cannot be efficiently used by
the body; the function of insulin is to
convert sugar and starches into energy.
There are 2 types of diabetes:
• Diabetes Mellitus is the common form
of diabetes, and sufferers of this tend
to have hyperglycemia which is when the
levels of blood glucose are excessive,
i.e. over 110 mg/dl. It is often
referred to as sugar diabetes.
• Diabetes Insipidus which occurs when
the pituitary gland fails in its
function of producing the hormone ADH
which stands for antidiuretic hormone.
ADH is responsible for controlling the
amount of water that is re-absorbed by
the kidneys and hence if less ADH is
produced than normal then less water is
reabsorbed and consequently more urine
is produced and the patient may become
constantly thirsty.
The Diabetes Insipidus can itself be
broken down into 2 categories:
• Cranial Diabetes Insipidus where there
is not enough ADH in the body due to
damage or infection of the pituitary
gland.
• Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus where
there is enough ADH in the body but the
kidneys fail to respond properly to the
ADH. This can be caused by kidney damage
or it could just be hereditary.
Major causes of diabetes are obesity and
lack of exercise; regular exercise will
help to control blood sugar levels and
reduce the chance of cardiovascular
diseases. People suffering from
hypoglycaemia (low levels of blood
sugar) may need to increase the blood
sugar rapidly.
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone produced by the
pancreas in our bodies and its functions
are to control the levels of glucose in
the blood and to convert glucose to
energy.
Sufferers of Type 1 diabetes cannot
produce insulin at all and have to be
given insulin injections. Sufferers of
Type 2 diabetes are able to produce
insulin, but their cells are unable to
use it.
Sufferers of diabetes should only eat
small quantities of high sugar or high
fat foods and fruit juice is inadvisable
as it is high in fruit sugar, i.e.
fructose, which can cause a rapid
increase in blood sugar levels. High
blood sugar levels can cause
cardiovascular problems, kidney
problems, skin and foot problems and an
unchecked diet and no medical care could
lead to heart disease, strokes, kidney
failure, blindness and gangrene which
could lead on to amputations or even
death.
Diabetic sufferers can usually do quite
a lot to help themselves by controlling
their diet, regular exercise and taking
care of their bodies – any infections
should be cleaned meticulously and
regular bathing will help prevent many
foot problems or skin inflammations from
developing into something really nasty.
Also they should be sure to take all
medications prescribed by their GP. |
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