Diabetes

Zuleyka Gomez

Did you know that 38.4 million American individuals have diabetes? This means that 11.6% of the American population of all ages have been diagnosed with diabetes. (American Diabetes Association, 2023). Diabetes is an endocrine disorder in the US and is the most common. It can be diagnosed in individuals of any age depending on the type of diabetes that there is. Although it varies both in men and women, about 15 million women in the United States have diabetes– that is more than 10% of us.

Now let's discuss more in depth what exactly is Diabetes.

What is Diabetes?

Glucose for an individual's brain is essential for survival. When glucose is in your system, it is either called glucose, or blood sugar. With that being said your body must be able to maintain the perfect balance of blood sugar. Diabetes is a group of diseases that results in too much sugar in the blood. Diabetes occurs when either your body doesn't produce enough insulin or the insulin it produces isn't effective. Or the body cannot produce any insulin at all. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that then helps glucose be obtained in your cells for energy.

With that being said, there are a variety of types of diabetes:

Type 1 Diabetes

This form of diabetes is an autoimmune disorder, which means that the body’s immune (defense) system attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. When an individual has Type 1 diabetes they lose all of the insulin that their pancreas produces so they have to become fully reliant on synthetic insulin to manage their blood glucose. It is important for an individual who has Type 1 diabetes to be tested regularly to make sure their blood sugar balance is maintained. (Office on Women's Health, 2022.).

Treatments:

Insulin
Healthy eating
Exercise
Healthy weight
Monitoring (testing blood sugar)

This image depicts the cycle of a normal pancreas versus those with Type 2 Diabetes which loses its insulin. (Stock, 2020) Image: © 2020 Stock https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/types-diabetes-mellitus-either-pancreas-not-1751157647

Symptoms :

Increased thirst as the process of kidneys producing more urine to remove excess sugar from the body causes dehydration from the body's tissue.
Frequent urination because kidneys work harder to remove, which forces kidneys to collect more urination.
Hunger as the brain cannot use glucose for fuel.
Fatigue as high blood pressure interrupts the body's will to use sugar for energy.
Blurred vision as the lenses of the eyes can swell with fluid.

Symptoms :

Feeling very thirsty due to kidneys producing more urine to remove excess sugar from the body causes dehydration from the body's tissue
Need to urinate more than usual due to the body having too much sugar or glucose in their body.
Blurred vision because the lenses of the eyes swell with fluid.
Feeling tired and having high blood sugar makes it difficult for the body to use sugar for energy.
Losing weight unintentionally as the sugar isn't being used as energy but the body instead starts burning fat and muscle for energy.

Type 2 Diabetes

This is the most common form of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is usually the disease where cells don't respond normally to insulin. Where your pancreas makes more insulin to try to get cells to react but the pancreas can't keep up, and your blood sugar rises.

Treatments:

Metformin (tablet)
Dopamine
Dipeptidyl (incretin enhancers)

Pre-diabetes

Having prediabetes means that your blood sugar is too high but not yet to the level of diabetes. This form of diabetes can be controlled with dietary adjustments, losing weight and exercise. (James, 2022.).

Treatments:

Lifestyle choices

Exercise
Weight loss
Healthy eating

Symptoms:

Excessive hunger
Excessive thirst
Fatigue
Weight gain
Frequent urination

The image depicts the differences in A1C, fasting blood glucoce, and glucose tolerance test mg/dL in diabetes, prediabetes, and normal.(StopDiabetes, 2023) Image: ©2023 StopDiabetes https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=789485603180422&set=ecnf.100063569679129

Symptoms :

Increased thirst can be caused by the placenta making an enzyme that destroys vasopressin which is a hormone that controls the water you retain.

Needing to urinate more than usual as the blood is pulling water out of tissues and into the blood.
Dry mouth because of the increase in thirst.
Blurred vision because the lenses of the eyes swell with fluid.
Tiredness having high blood sugar make it difficult for the body to use sugar for energy.
Genital itching or thrush

Gestational Diabetes

This type of diabetes only happens during pregnancy. During pregnancy, the placenta manufactures hormones that make cells insulin resistance. When the pancreas doesn't make enough extra insulin the blood sugars tend to rise too high. Gestational diabetes can be a big factor in causing health problems for the mother and the baby if it isn't controlled. This type of diabetes usually goes away after the baby is born but can raise the risk for Type 2 diabetes later on in life. This form of diabetes can be treated with specific meals/diets and exercise. (Office on Women's Health, 2022.).

Treatments:

Lifestyle changes

Eating healthy
Exercising regularly
Maintaining a healthy weight

Medication

Insulin
Anti-diabetic medication

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