Major Types of Diabetes and Their Symptoms

Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by high blood sugar (glucose) levels, that result from defects in insulin secretion, or action, or both. Diabetes mellitus, commonly referred to as diabetes (as it will be in this article) was first identified as a disease associated with “sweet urine,” and excessive muscle loss in the ancient world. Elevated levels of blood glucose (hyperglycemia) lead to spillage of glucose into the urine, hence the term sweet urine.

Patients with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus may urinate excessively (polyuria) and become thirsty because the glucose filtered into the kidneys has the tendency to pull water with it. They may experience increased appetite and weight loss; the absence of functioning insulin prevents cells from obtaining the carbohydrates they need and allows muscle and fat to break down. Muscle cramping and fatigue may also occur.

Types of diabetes

The two main types of diabetes are type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes usually occurs in children and young adults and is considered an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease results when the body’s system for fighting infection (the immune system) turns against a part of the body.

A combination of abnormalities is responsible for type 2 diabetes. The first is probably insulin resistance, a condition in which body cells become less responsive to insulin. Therefore, the body must secrete more insulin to maintain normal metabolism. Insulin resistance, which is very common, doesn’t cause type 2 diabetes by itself.

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Gestational Diabetes is a form of Type 2 diabetes that begins during pregnancy, often near the end of the second trimester or during the third trimester. It is caused by the hormones of pregnancy or by a shortage of insulin. It affects 7% of all pregnancies and over 200,000 women a year in the U.S. Although this form of diabetes tends to go away after the baby is born, type 2 diabetes is more likely later in life.

Pre-Diabetes

Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they almost always have pre-diabetes; blood glucose (sugar) levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. People with pre-diabetes are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes and for having heart disease and stroke. Many people are unaware that they have pre-diabetes, because it usually has no symptoms.

Cheap and Safe Supplies for Your Children

Having new member in a family is always fun and exciting. Watching your children to grow and learn to be a proud person is always touching. However, it is also your responsibility to provide all the babies’ needs such as food, clothing shelter and supplies. Especially for the supplies as your babies would be still in learning process, you need to provide safe supplies that would not make your babies harmed when they use it.

Funtocollect.com is an online store which provide collectibles and supplies for kids and toodlers. Not only that their products are safe and made out from nontoxic material, the design also cute so that both parents and children can enjoy using it. One of the example are Dr Seuss’s Baby Seuss products which consist of arrays of supplies product from shower supplies to lunch and party supplies. You can order thing you want to buy by signing up and browse the products you want to buy. The deliveries will be done in days after you make your payments by credit cards or Paypal.

As your babies grow older, you might want to give them supplies of their appropriate age. When your children is 5years old or older, you can give them a slightly more complex products to train them to do things individually. And to make the process fun, you can motivate them by using the wizard of oz collectibles. Lunchboxes, cups, shirts, music box and figurines with wizard of oz characters on it. It surely will draw their  enthusiasm as they are already familiar with the bedtime story characters.

Womens Health: What is Gestational Diabetes?

What Is Gestational Diabetes?

Gestational diabetes occur only in pregnant women. This diabetes is caused due to disorder in the placenta of the pregnant women. When the pancreas of the women fails to produce extra insulin, the blood sugar level becomes unusually high. This condition is termed as gestational diabetes. It is essential for all future mothers to have a complete knowledge of the link between women and gestational diabetes.

Diagnosis

Gestational diabetes is diagnosed when the woman is about 24-28 weeks pregnant. It is diagnosed by “oral glucose tolerance test” in which the woman is instructed not to eat for 4 to 8 hours. Then her blood sugar level is measured by the medical caretakers.

After checking the normal sugar count, she is given a sugar drink and after 2 hours the sugar level test is redone to assess abnormality in blood sugar level. If the women’s sugar level is below 140 mg/dl then she is certified to be in the safe limit. However, if the sugar count is more than 140 mg/dl, she is diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Causes

Gestational diabetes is more likely to happen in obese women more than 25years of age and who have following records -

A family record of diabetes or has prior experience of this disease in past pregnancies can lead to gestational diabetes.

Women who delivered an unusually large and healthy baby or a baby born with birth defects in the past can have gestational diabetes.

If the women has excess amount of amniotic fluid, she is prone to gestational diabetes.

Symptoms and risk factors

Symptoms of gestational diabetes can be assessed by the delivery of baby and both the mother child condition-

The blood sugar level of diabetic pregnant women becomes abnormally high.

The fetus that nourishes in this abnormally large amount of sugar level becomes large enough to be delivered by vagina. One needs surgical operation to deliver the baby.

Doctors notice high amount of insulin in the body of the newborn baby. After few days the baby is exposed to the condition of hypoglycemia i.e. low level of blood glucose because the baby is no more influenced with mother’s high sugar level.

Unusual hunger, thirst, weight gain or high blood pressure is sign of gestational diabetes.

Recurrent vaginal infection and excessive urination are signs of gestational diabetes.

Treatments

A planned and balanced diet devoid of sweets is prescribed to the diabetic women to keep the sugar level in the normal range of 60 to 120 mg/dl. The diabetic lady should exercise at least 3 or 4 days a week to maintain the sugar level in the body by burning excess fat. Balanced food and exercises can help in maintaining the normal pregnancy weight gain which is vital for treating gestational diabetes.

In case of severe gestational diabetes, a weekly or daily glucose level test is advised to the diabetic mother. If all these treatments prove ineffective, then insulin injections are recommended by the doctors to control the blood sugar level in the diabetic lady.

Complications

If the disease of gestational diabetes is left untreated or is not properly controlled than the baby can develop certain complications that includes- Macrosomia, jaundice, respiratory distress syndrome, death after 28 weeks of pregnancy or in infancy. Gestational diabetes can occur in future pregnancies as well.

So the pregnant ladies must seek doctoral advice and get complete details of how to prevent this diabetes in future as well as present pregnancy.

Diabetes Mellitus – Definition, Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Diabetes can be caused by too little insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas to control blood sugar), resistance to insulin, or both. Diabetes is a chronic condition. DM exhibits wide geographic variation in incidence and prevalence Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder caused by an absolute or relative deficiency of insulin, an anabolic hormone. Diabetes mellitus is defined as a fasting blood glucose of 126 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or more. There are two basic forms of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes mellitus—formerly known as insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM), childhood diabetes or also known as juvenile diabetes, is characterized by loss of the insulin-producing beta cells of the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas leading to a deficiency of insulin. It should be noted that there is no known preventative measure that can be taken against type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes appears most often in middle-aged. Diabetes causes many changes in the body. Neuropathy (damage to the nerves) affects sensation to the feet, so that pain is not felt. Diabetes affects approximately 17 million people (about 8% of the population) in the United States. In addition, an estimated additional 12 million people in the United States have diabetes and don’t even know it. Diabetes is the third leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease and cancer. Males are at greater risk in regions of high incidence, particularly older males, whose incidence rates often show seasonal variation. People with diabetes often develop bacterial and fungal infections, typically of the skin. When the levels of sugar in the blood are high, white blood cells cannot effectively fight infections. Diabetes is a major risk factor for stroke and coronary heart disease, which includes heart attack.

Serious medical illness and surgery produce a state of increased insulin resistance. Controlling your blood sugar is essential to feeling healthy and avoiding long-term complications of diabetes. Diet, exercise and weight reduction should be the cornerstone of management. The treatment of markedly symptomatic patients with newly discovered type 2 diabetes and glucose levels >400 mg/dL is controversial. Medications used to treat diabetes include insulin. Medications such as thiazides, used to control high blood pressure, and niacin, used for high cholesterol, also may increase blood sugar. Everyone needs regular aerobic exercise, and people with diabetes are no exception. The good news is that the same exercises that are good for your heart and lungs also help lower your blood sugar levels. Drugs and foods known to affect the CYP3A4 system need to be used cautiously in patients treated with atorvastatin, lovastatin, or simvastatin because these agents are largely metabolized through that system.

Treatment for Diabetes Mellitus Tips

1. Serious medical illness and surgery produce a state of increased insulin resistance.

2. Controlling your blood sugar is essential to feeling healthy and avoiding long-term complications of diabetes.

3. Diet, exercise and weight reduction should be the cornerstone of management.

4. Medications used to treat diabetes include insulin. Medications such as thiazides, used to control high blood pressure, and niacin, used for high cholesterol, also may increase blood sugar.

5. Drugs and foods known to affect the CYP3A4 system need to be used cautiously in patients treated with atorvastatin, lovastatin, or simvastatin because these agents are largely metabolized through that system.

Winter – What a Diabetic Should Know

Winter is just around the corner so I thought I’ll put up an excerpt from a conversation that I had which would be helpful to diabetics during winter time.

Does climate in any way, direct or indirect, affect diabetes? Warm and Cold temperatures have no direct effect on diabetes control but can affect it indirectly. While your blood sugar doesn’t go up or down in response to hot or cold outdoor temperatures, it does have an impact on eating and exercise habits, which is a key factor in controlling your blood sugar levels. In warm temperatures, the body can be stressed due to heat and high humidity. And this can throw the blood sugar levels out of control. For those who are on insulin, storing it becomes a problem in warm climates as improper temperatures can destroy insulin and it won’t work effectively if it is not stored correctly. Winter season according to some studies is a cause for depression and anxiety, which is a stressful state for the body and stress can in turn, affect blood-sugar levels. Generally people tend to eat more during winter. They also snack more. In such circumstances should diabetics take special precautions? Only disciplined and responsible eating can help a diabetic control their blood sugar levels. There is no real harm with snacking when you are hungry but the key is to snack on healthy alternatives that only a good dietician can guide you on. During winter, it is sometimes difficult to exercise because of the cold. Diabetics are supposed to regularly exercise. What do they do? For those who find it difficult to exercise in the cold they can try other options such as: Heated pools: Swimming in a heated pool is a great way to stay active in cold weather. Swimming is an ideal full body exercise for those who have a lot of weight as they can exercise without risking damage to their joints. Working out at a Gym: Gyms offer many ways to keep moving indoors, from aerobics classes to weight machine circuits. Winter might also be a good time to test a trial membership. Studies have shown that weight training in diabetics helps tone muscles and keeps bones strong and healthy.Exercising at home: It’s easy to be active even without leaving home.Housework: Routine house work can be exercise, and you will end up with a neat and tidy house in the bargain. Playing fast-paced music may also help.Exercise videos: Videos can help people stay focused, teach new moves and provide good warm-up and cool-down periods. Exercise videos made especially for people with diabetes are available. Online videos are available which people can easily download and use. All people who exercise need to remember to drink clean water or electrolyte replenishing fluids and avoid sugary drinks. In places like Delhi, Chandigarh, Jammu temperatures dip to near zero and in south in Hyderabad and Bangalore, the temperature goes below 10 degrees C. What are the precautions that diabetics should take in terms of skin care, diet, sleep, protection etc. Winter brings special challenges to people with diabetes. Keep yourself warm. Wear layers of clothes. Staying warm requires that you trap warm, dry air next to the body.Watch your weight. Winter can mean an extra 2-5 kilos for many people. This is risky as weight gain increases your risk of heart disease.Diabetes-related circulation and nerve problems can mean icy cold feet. Don’t use hot-water bottles, but rather just wear layers of socks to keep your toes warm.Drink lots of water as people who are dehydrated will send their sugar levels upStay relaxed as stress leads to high sugar levels. For those whom stress is a routine occurrence, they should learn and practice relaxation exercises to combat stress.Don’t ever guess your sugar levels. Sometimes we all feel lazy and guess our sugar levels instead of testing it on the glucometer. This is not the recommended option. Always test your blood sugar levels and then take your medicines. Every once a year show your doctor how you test your blood sugar and confirm that you are doing it correctly.When the weather gets cold, old aged individuals who have a decreased ability to control body temperature and a less body fat have more chance to face a drop in body temperature. Such people and their care takers should take more care to prevent this from happening. Are diabetics more vulnerable to extreme cold conditions? There is not much difference in terms of vulnerability to cold for a normal diabetic compared to a normal person. But those diabetics who have begun to lose sensation in their hands and feet need to be very careful as the cold can cause damage to the hands or feet areas and the person won’t even feel the damage at the time. This is also a season when people tend to consume alcohol more to ward off cold. Is alcohol harmful to diabetics even in limited quantity? Is there any threshold limit? Contrary to popular belief alcohol does not keep you warm. It actually makes you lose more heat than usual. This is because it dilates blood vessels and in winter dilated blood vessels allow more heat to escape from the body compared to normal. Another thing for diabetics to remember is that alcohol reduces your blood sugar levels quite quickly so always eat some healthy snacks along with your drinks. The safe threshold limit is one drink for a woman and two drinks for a man per day. Anything more will have cancel out any beneficial effects of alcohol on the body. In case people eat more and also occasionally drink, how often should they go for check ups? Normally the doctor who is supervising your diabetes treatment will decide who often you have to visit him. In addition to those normal visits that can be once in a week to once in a month or even once in 3 months, you have to visit other specialist doctors one in a year or in case you have any problems more often. What about juvenile diabetics and winter? Any special care or precautions to be taken?  Juvenile diabetic is an older term for Type 1 diabetic. There are clinical studies that have found that environmental triggers contribute to the onset of diabetes in people. More people are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes during winter months as well as in colder climates in general, so cold weather is a suspected environmental trigger for developing type 1 diabetes. Therefore to sum it up Type 1 diabetics should follow all recommendations for the control of blood sugar levels that all diabetics should follow. Any other comments, suggestions for our readers? winterOnce in a month or even once in 3 months, you have to visit other specialist doctors one in a year or in case you have any problems more often.