Unknown to many people, diabetes is actually a very common and chronic disease. But what is diabetes really? Now, to better understand the condition, diabetes is a disorder. It’s a disorder that affects the way that the body uses up the energy it gets from food. In a normal body, the sugar that is taken in breaks it down into glucose or a simple sugar. This is what circulates in the blood and it waits to go into the cells to be used up as fuel.
To better understand what is diabetes, we must also look at how this blood enters into the cells because they cannot do it alone. This is where insulin comes in. Insulin is a hormone and it is made in the pancreas. Insulin will help the glucose move into the cells so that the glucose can be used. A healthy pancreas means that a healthy amount of insulin is made. But with a condition like diabetes, this is not the case because insulin levels then go down and the glucose gets way too high.
So what is diabetes? There are actually two main kinds of the condition. There is type 1 diabetes and this is when a person cannot produce insulin at all. Then there is Type 2 diabetes where people can produce insulin but the cells do not respond to the insulin. In these two types of diabetes, glucose cannot move into the cells and high glucose levels are very dangerous to a persons well being.
What is diabetes mellitus? The word diabetes means siphon in Greek. Mel in Latin is a word that means honey. Now people with diabetes often urinate and have blood that is sweet because of the excess glucose. This is also how the term “Sweet Urine Disease” was also coined. And you may want to read our next article that is about the signs of diabetes and there we will explain to you how to spot the signs of diabetes.
Diabetes is a common disease but that does not mean that it is one that is okay to have it like when you have the sniffles or a common cold. Diabetes is a condition where your blood sugar does not reach the places where they are supposed to be so that the body can use the sugar as energy. You need to know the signs of diabetes to prevent it.
The body needs a hormone known as insulin that is made in the pancreas. This insulin is the substance that actually makes sure that the glucose in the blood will get transported to the cells around the body so that they can be used up properly. But a diabetic does not produce insulin or in other cases does not produce the right kind of insulin for the glucose to be transported properly.
Now, a condition like diabetes can be prevented if you know the signs of diabetes. It is all a matter of paying attention to your body. You won’t, for example, know you have diabetes just by looking into a mirror. The signs of diabetes are gradual but they can worsen your physical condition over time. Here are ways to spot the early symptoms diabetes:
• Thirst – Noticed that you are thirsty even though you haven’t been doing anything that is physically strenuous? This may be a sign of the condition.
• Hunger – There are people who get really hungry even if they have just had a good and solid meal. Abnormal or excessive hunger is another result of the probability getting the disorder.
• Tiredness – You may feel that you are tired all of a sudden and want to rest at certain time throughout the day. This can be considered a sign.
• Weight loss – Noticed that you lost weight at a really fast pace? Consider this as one of the signs of diabetes and visit a doctor soon.
Diabetes is a condition when a person’s body produces little to no insulin. When this happens, the glucose in the blood cannot be transported into the cells where they are supposed to be used as energy. Now, diabetes is not something that can be spotted immediately but early symptoms of diabetes can be spotted. This means that doctors can help people from suffering the serious damages of full blown diabetes.
It’s important that people see the early symptoms of diabetes in order to treat it properly. Early symptoms of diabetes are few but they are easy to spot. One symptom is when you experience excessive thirst. This kind of thirst you experience is not the kind brought on by exercise or hot weather. Another symptom is when you are really hungry even when you know that you have eaten a lot already at a certain time. Yet another symptom is frequent urinating. You may find yourself taking frequent trips to the bathroom every night. Next, you may experience tiredness or fatigue. There are some cases where diabetics get so tired that they sleep suddenly even if they are at work or eating at the table. Another of the early symptoms of diabetes is when you experience sudden or very rapid weight loss.
These are just some of the signs that you should tell you that you need to visit a doctor. Only the doctor can tell you with confirmation if you are suffering from diabetes. There are two types that you can get. Type 1 diabetes is when you your body cannot produce any insulin at all. Then there is Type 2 diabetes where your body can produce insulin but your cells do not support that insulin. In both of these types of diseases, you can expect your blood sugar to rise because it is not being transported to the cells in your body that need to use it as energy.
If you want to find out what is the causes of diabetes then you might want to read about it at the next article.
