Diabetes -causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Causes of Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus often referred to simply as diabetes , is a syndrome characterized by disordered metabolism and abnormally high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia) resulting from insufficient levels of the hormone insulin

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play rolesIf you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, you know how overwhelming it can seem. It may feel like your life has been temporarily turned upside down. The Diabetes Toolbox is an article that links all the information you need in one convenient place.

Risk factors of Diabetes
Age. The risk of type 2 diabetes increases as you get older, especially after age 45. Often, that’s because people tend to exercise less, lose muscle mass and gain weight as they age. But type 2 diabetes is increasing dramatically among children, adolescents and younger adults.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – when a woman’s body produces an excess of testosterone (a male hormone) which causes the ovaries to release eggs (ovulate) less frequently than normal or they don’t release eggs at all. This syndrome usually causes irregular or absent menstrual cycles.

People with type 1 diabetes are more likely to have heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, high blood pressure, blindness, nerve damage and gum disease. These things happen 2 to 4 times more often in people with diabetes than in people without diabetes.

Diabetes resulting in an insulin-dependent state is classified as Type 1 diabetes. While Type 1 diabetes affects only between 5 to10 percent of the diabetic population, its effects on the body can be worse than other forms of diabetes. In the past, Type 1 has been known as juvenile or juvenile-onset diabetes (because it is usually diagnosed in those under thirty), brittle diabetes, unstable diabetes, and ketosis-prone diabetes.

Diabetes Symptoms
Diabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem so harmless. Recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chance of developing the complications of diabetes

In type 2 diabetes, symptoms may go unnoticed for years, and only when complications of diabetes – such as foot ulceration or blurred vision occur – is diabetes diagnosed. Remember that all the symptoms may not be present.

Many of the signs of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are similar. In both, there is too much glucose in the blood and not enough in the cells of your body. High glucose levels in Type I are due to a lack of insulin because the insulin producing cells have been destroyed.Symptoms of ketoacidosis include nausea and vomiting. Dehydration and often-serious disturbances in blood levels of potassium follow.

Treatment  of Diabetes
If you have diabetes, your doctor may tell you to regularly check your blood sugar levels at home. There are a number of devices available, and they use only a drop of blood. Self-monitoring tells you how well diet, medication, and exercise are working together to control your diabetes and can help your doctor prevent complications.

In the past, the insulin was being derived from animal sources, particularly cows and pigs. Not only was there a problem with enough supply of insulin to meet the demand, but beef and pork insulin also had specific problems. Originating from animals, these types of insulin caused immune reactions in some people.Medication. Any medications you take may affect your blood sugar level, sometimes requiring changes in your diabetes treatment plan.

Treatment – High Blood Pressure

ACE inhibitors stop the production of a hormone called angiotensin II that makes the blood vessels narrow. As a result, the vessels expand, improving blood flow. Tension in the circulation is also lowered by the kidneys filtering more fluid from the blood vessels into urine. This also helps reduce blood pressure. If your blood pressure is not easily controlled on simple medication, your doctor will probably use a medicine of this type.

While most cases of high blood pressure arise from an unknown set of factors, in some cases a definite cause is clearly identified. In these cases, treatment will have two different goals. First, to control the high blood pressure. Second, to relieve, if possible, the underlying cause. Someone with high blood pressure because of an underlying hormone disorder, for example, would likely be controlled on blood pressure medications but would also be treated in an attempt to resolve the hormone imbalance at the root of the problem.

The most commonly used diuretic to treat high blood pressure in the UK is called bendroflumethiazide (bendrofluazide) – but there are others. For example, chlorothiazide, chlorthalidone, cyclopenthiazide, hydrochlorothiazide, and indapamide. Diuretics work by increasing the amount of salt and fluid that you pass out in your urine. This has some effect on reducing the fluid in the circulation which reduces blood pressure. They may also have a ‘relaxing’ effect on the blood vessels which reduces the pressure within the blood vessels. Only a low dose of a diuretic is needed to treat high blood pressure. Therefore, you will not notice much diuretic effect (you will not pass much extra urine).

Even people who do not have hypertension know that diet plays a very important role in the cause or prevention of this health condition. And it is true. If your diet is high in fat and sodium, you have an increased risk of having high blood pressure. So you better avoid food that is high in salt, sugar and fat.

But before going on a diet, you should also put into consideration your age and weight. Not all types of diet programs can be applied to everyone. It is important that your diet should not only be healthy, but somehow it should also fit your tastes and lifestyle.

The preferred treatment of choice for those suffering high blood pressure is usually a change of lifestyle. For those who are overweight, smoke, lead highly stressful lives or seldom exercise, sometimes this is the only wake up call they need. Once they make the necessary lifestyle adjustments, they will often find their blood pressure symptom restored to a more normal range.

If you have high blood pressure, or have just been diagnosed with it, you may have concerns and questions about how it is going to be treated and how high blood pressure will affect you in your day-to-day life. You may also be worried about how high blood pressure will affect your future health.

Slightly raised blood pressure may not need to be treated so aggressively, but regular monitoring is important. If you have very severe high blood pressure, you may need to go to hospital for treatment. But it’s much more likely that you will be cared for by your GP and/or a nurse.