Causes of and Treatments For Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes mellitus is an autoimmune disease which left untreated can harm essential body organs and possibly result in death. Type 1 diabetes used to be known as juvenile diabetes (aka insulin-dependent diabetes) because it was most commonly diagnosed in children. It was only after researchers begin to discover a significant number of adults with this type of diabetes that they renamed it.
The usual treatment for type I diabetes is insulin injection. However, another treatment is to use steroid like drugs to block the autoimmune symptoms. While successful in many cases, however, steroids are not 100% effective. In addition, steroids have negative side effects in some people.
Another relatively new treatment for diabetes is insulin inhalation. In 2006 the FDA approved the first ever version of insulin that can be inhaled. Unfortunately, the company producing it shut down manufacturing it due to resistance in accepting it from doctors and their patients. Some researchers believe, however, that it’s only a matter of time before an acceptable and viable alternative to injection hits the market.
Whether type 1 or type 2, there are some similarities in the symptoms of both type of diabetes. Common symptoms are frequent urination, constant thirst, weight loss, increase in hunger caused by the body being undernourished, and weakness – again due to the body being undernourished. Some diabetics also have blurred vision problems due to their eye lenses swelling as their blood glucose level rises. The swelled eye lenses are the cause of the blurred vision.
Although there are common symptoms for people with type II diabetes, not everyone has the same reactions. It’s entirely possible that you could have type II diabetes and show no symptoms whatsoever. That’s why it’s important to periodically have your doctor give you a blood glucose test. This is really the only way to definitively determine if you have diabetes.
The amount of glucose in your bloodstream is always in a state of flux – even in people without diabetes. You eat a meal. the insulin in your body allows the glucose to enter your cells, thus taking in out of the bloodstream. You eat some more and the cycle continues. When something goes wrong with your insulin production however, there is no agent to allow the glucose into the cells. It therefore, builds up in the bloodstream eventually leading to high glucose levels. High blood glucose levels are bad for you primarily because it can cause your internal organs to break down.
By now, it’s been well documented that people who are obese or overweight have an increased risk for developing diabetes 2. But many times as well, the problem can be traced to an abnormality or problem with the person’s pancreas.
The pancreas has two important body functions. One is to produce digestive enzymes to help digest your food. The second is to produce insulin and secrete it into the bloodstream. Any problems in the pancreas that affects its ability to produce insulin will have a direct impact on your health and possibly lead to your developing diabetes.