subject: What is Diabetes, Who Gets it, and How to Manage it [print this page] Author: kristian richmond Author: kristian richmond
What is diabetes, who are the sufferers and how do people deal with diabetes. Well an estimated 26 million people in the US alone are reported to suffer from diabetes. Diabetes sufferers are spread across all age ranges, but the main sufferers are in the 60 plus age range. Coping with diabetes can range from eating a controlled diet to injecting insulin. So what is diabetes? Diabetes is actually a disorder of the bodies metabolism, in which the body fails to produce enough insulin, which in turn allows the glucose in the body to build in the blood and is then passed out through the urine. There are 2 types of diabetes, Type 1 and type 2. Type 2 is the most common form of the disease, with over 90% of diabetes sufferers having the type 2 form of the disease. Around 80% of these sufferers are overweight which is the common cause of this disease. Other causes for this disease are such things as old age, family history of the disease and a severe lack of activity. The latter of these reasons is why more and more younger people and kids are being diagnosed with the disease. This is a reflection of our changing society, where kids spend more and more watching television and playing on computer games and less time partaking in physical activity. So how do you cope with diabetes? There are different ways of managing diabetes. Early type 2 sufferers can control the disease with a healthy and controlled diet, and participation in regular exercise, although if it develops further pills or insulin will be required, although this is not seen as a cure, but more to control it. It is also vital that the sufferer should check there blood sugar levels on a regular basis. If there blood sugar levels drop too low this can cause a condition called "hypoglycemia", which can cause the person to feel shaky, weak, confused and event faint. If the blood sugar levels go too high this can also cause illness to occur. If you believe that you have diabetes it is vital that you see your local Gp or visit your health center as soon as possible to get checked out, as uncontrolled this disease is a killer.About the Author:
