Diabetes (Diabetes mellitus)
Important Vocabulary
~Insulin: a chemical that the pancreas produces. It takes in glucose and helps it turn into energy for the body.
~Pancreas: the organ that makes insulin
~Glucose: A type of carbohydrate that is the body's main source of energy
~Hypoglycemic Reactions: when the body's blood sugar levels are too low. This condition can become deadly
~Hyperglycemic Reactions: when the body's blood sugar levels are too high. This condition is also deadly
~Blood Sugar Levels: the amount of sugar (or glucose) in the blood
Type 1 (or Juvenile Diabetes)
Type 1 diabetes is a disorder in which the disease attacks and destroys beta cells, which are important cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. As a result, no insulin can be produced. If this happens, the glucose that the insulin was supposed to turn into energy stays in the blood and damages all organ systems in the body.
People with Type 1 diabetes must take insulin shots every day to prevent the internal organs from becoming damaged, and also keep track of their blood sugar levels by pricking their finger. They must also balance their food intake and excersize regularly to regulate their blood sugar levels and avoid hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic reactions from occuring.
Some symptoms of type 1 diabetes include: extreme thirst, frequent and sometimes sugar-containing urination, drowsiness, increased appetite, unnatural breath odor, heavy labored breathing and, in extreme cases, unconciousness.
Type 2
Type 2 diabetes is a disorder in which the body does produce insulin, but it does not function the way it should, which leads to too much glucose in the body. The pancreas tries to create more insulin to make up for these high-glucose levels, but it just ends up getting overworked.
People who get Type 2 diabetes are often overweight. This condition may cause Type 2 diabetes to develop, but the main cause of Type 2 is heredity. People who are over 10 years old are more likely to get it than people under 10.
Type 2 diabetes is treated with a healthy eating plan that incorporate less fat and salt, regular excersize, frequent shots of insulin and frequent checkups from a doctor.
Symptoms of Type 2 diabetes include: urination (from the body trying to get rid of extra blood sugar), exhaustion (from the insulin not being able to turn glucose into energy), and dark patches of skin around the neck and in warm, moist places, like between joints.
Monogenic
Whereas Diabetes Types 1 and 2 are polygenic, there are some monogenic, or single-gened, forms of diabetes. These types are sometimes inherited, but they are mainly caused by spontaneous development. Monogenic Diabetes make up 1-2% of all diabetes found in young people. However, Monogenic Diabetes is often mistaken for Type 1, because it, too, reduces the body's ability to produce insulin.
There are three main types of Monogenic Diabetes:
-Permanent Neonatal Diabetes (or PND)
-Transient Neonatal Diabetes (or TND)
-Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young (Or MODY)
Out of all the types, MODY is most common, and found in children and adolescents, although it is usually not found until adulthood. PND and TND are mainly found in infants and newborns.
Gestational
Gestational Diabetes is only found in women who are pregnant. It is a condition found in 3-6% of all prenant women, and it begins around the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy, then ends shortly after delivery.
Gestational Diabetes is a disorder in which the woman produces the correct amounts of insulin, but the effect of the insulin is partially blocked by a variety of other hormones like progesterone, prolactin, estrogen, cortisol, and human placental lactogen made in the placenta (which is an organ that is developed to provide nourishment for the growing infant). This blockage is called insulin resistance.
Cure?
There is still no cure for any type of Diabetes. However, organizations like the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (or JDRF) are trying to find a way to cure the disease.
**Most of the information in this post was researched at the JDRF website (http://jdrf.org/) and Kids Health.org (http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/diabetes_basics/index.html#What's_Diabetes?)**
