Diabetes Mellitus is estimated to affect nearly 8% of the population in the United States, about one-third of whom are undiagnosed. The incidence rate is equal in men and women and rises with age. It is the leading cause of renal failure, new adult blindness and the cause of cardiovascular diseases to nearly two-thirds of people with the disease. It is a chronic disease in which blood glucose or sugar levels are too high and a disease of absolute or relative insulin deficiency or resistance. Glucose comes from the foods you eat and insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose to get into cells to be utilized as energy to keep you going. Insulin regulates the metabolism of glucose in the body and is said to be the key or gatekeeper for the glucose to enter the cells while glucose is considered as fuel of the body.
This condition occurs in two forms: Type I (Insulin dependent) and Type II (Non-insulin dependent).
In Type I diabetes or formerly called juvenile diabetes wherein majority occurs before the age of 30, your body does not make insulin or does not produce enough insulin. In this form of diabetes, the body??thirst, increased hunger (especially after eating), dry mouth, unexplained weight loss (even though you are eating and feeling hungry most of the time), headaches, and loss of consciousness (a rare case). People who have Type 2 diabetes may require oral anti-diabetic drugs in order to stimulate endogenous insulin sensitivity, suppress conversion of lactic acid to glucose, and delay gastrointestinal absorption of carbohydrates.
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Diabetes Insider
