What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition that affects the way your body uses food and liquid for its energy. Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism. The sugar from the food you take in is broken down and digested to what's called a simple sugar, otherwise known as glucose. The glucose then goes into your bloodstream where it waits to be distributed into your body's cells to be used as energy.

Insulin is a hormone produced by your pancreas, which is a large gland behind the stomach. It helps move the glucose into your body's cells. A healthy pancreas regulates the amount of insulin based on the level of glucose. If you have diabetes, this process breaks down, and your pancreas produces little to no insulin or the cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. As a result, your blood sugar levels become too high and you body loses the ability to use its main source of fuel even though there is a readily available supply of fuel in the bloodstream.

If the high glucose levels in the bloodstream are not controlled, a host of other health issues can occur. Diabetes can cause wounds to heal much more slowly and even increase your risk of infection. Diabetes can affect your gums and make you more likely to have dental problems. Diabetes affects your nerve cells, blood vessels, eyes, and even your kidneys. Diabetes also increases your risk for a stroke or heart attack. Controlling your blood glucose today can help prevent or delay problems in the future.

Different Types of Diabetes
The three main types of diabetes are: 

• Type 1 diabetes accounts for approximately 5-10% of people with diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is also known as juvenile or insulin dependent diabetes. It usually develops in children and young adults but can appear at any age. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease (when the body's system for fighting infection, otherwise known as the immune system, turns against a part of your body). With diabetes, your immune system attacks the insulin-producing beta cells in your pancreas. When that happens, your pancreas produces little to no insulin. A person who has type 1 diabetes must take a regular amount of insulin daily to live- either by injection or by insulin pump.

Science has yet to determine what causes the body's immune system to attack these beta cells. Research suggests many influences could be involved, some of which include: autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors, possibly viruses.

Symptoms of type 1 diabetes usually develop without warning. Symptoms include increased thirst and urination, continuous hunger, sudden weight loss, blurry vision, and extreme fatigue. If not diagnosed and properly treated with insulin, a person with type 1 diabetes can lapse into what's called a diabetic ketoacidosis, also called a life-threatening diabetic coma.

• Type 2 diabetes accounts for approximately 90% of people diagnosed with diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is known as adult on-set or noninsulin-dependent diabetes. About 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are considered overweight. This form of diabetes is associated with older age, obesity, a family history of diabetes, previous history of gestational diabetes, physical inactivity, and certain ethnicities.

Type 2 diabetes is increasingly being diagnosed in children and young adults, especially among African American, Mexican American, and Pacific Islander youth.

When type 2 diabetes is diagnosed, the pancreas is producing enough insulin, but for some reason the body cannot use the insulin effectively. This is a condition called insulin resistance. Symptoms may not show for many years and by the time they appear, significant problems may already have developed. People with type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to suffer cardiovascular disease. Type 2 diabetes may be treated through dietary changes, exercise and/or tablets. Insulin injections may be required later on because over time, insulin production decreases. The result is the same as for type 1 diabetes. Glucose builds up in the bloodstream and the body simply cannot make good use of its main source of energy.

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes develop more gradually. Symptoms include fatigue, frequent urination, increased thirst and hunger, weight loss, blurred vision, and slow healing of wounds or sores. Some people never show symptoms.

• Gestational Diabetes accounts for 3-8 percent of pregnant woman.

Otherwise known as GDM or carbohydrate intolerance, Gestational diabetes is first diagnosed during pregnancy through an oral glucose tolerance test. Some women develop GDM late in the pregnancy. This form of diabetes usually disappears after the birth of the baby. However, women who develop gestational diabetes have a 40 to 60 percent chance of getting type 2 diabetes within the following 5 to 10 years. Research suggest that maintaining a reasonable body weight and being physically active may help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

Women who are diagnosed with GDM typically have a family history of diabetes, increased maternal age, are considered obsese or are a member of a community or ethnic group with a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

What Causes Diabetes?

• Poor Diet: Improper nutrition, low protein and fiber intake, high intake of refined products are the expected reasons for developing diabetes.
• Obesity: Being overweight means increased insulin resistance. If your body fat is more than 30%, waist girth 35 inches in women or 40 inches in males, then you have increased risk.
• Inactive Lifestyle: People with an inactive lifestyle are more prone to diabetes. People who exercise 3 times a week are at a lower risk of developing diabetes.
• Hereditary/Inherited Traits: Due to some genes that pass from one generation to another, it is possible for a person to inherit diabetes. It depends upon the closeness of the blood relationship. If the mother is diabetic, the risk is around 2 to 3%. If the father is diabetic, the risk is more. If both parents are diabetic, then the child has a much greater risk of getting diabetes.
• Age: Diabetes may occur at any age, but 80% of cases occur after 50 years. The diabetes rate increases with age.
• Stress/Hypertension: Physical injury or emotional disturbance is another factor for the initial cause of diabetes. Any disturbance in Cortiosteroid or ACTH therapy may lead to diabetic symptoms. It has been reported in many studies that there is direct relation between high systolic blood pressure and diabetes.
• Drug Induced: Clozapine (Clozaril), olanzapine (Zyprexa), risperidone (Risperdal), quetiapine (Seroquel) and ziprasidone (Geodon) are known to induce diabetes.
• Infection: Strephylococci is supposed to be the responsible factor for infection in the pancreas.
• Sex: Diabetes is commonly seen in the elderly, especially men but it is also prevalent in women with multiple pregnancies or suffer from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
• Serum lipids and lipoproteins: High triglyceride and cholesterol level in the blood relates to high blood sugars. Studies have shown that in some cases, there is heightened risk even with low HDL levels in circulating blood.

Diabetes Demographics

• Number of Americans with Diabetes: 18.2 million people
• Percent of American Population: 6.3% of the population
• Total Diagnosed: 13 million people
• Total Undiagnosed: 5.2 million people

• Number of Americans with Diabetes: 210,000 people
• Percent of Age Group: 0.26%
• Frequency of Occurrence: one in every 400 to 500 children and adolescents has type 1 diabetes

• Age 20 years or older: 18 million (8.7% of age group)
• Age 60 years or older: 8.6 million (18.3% of age group)
• Men: 8.7 million (8.7% of age group/gender)
• Women: 9.3 million (8.7% of age group/gender)

Race and Ethnicity

Several studies have indicated that type 2 diabetes is increasingly common among Native American/American Indian, African American, and Hispanic and Latino children and adolescents.

Looking for Diabetes Products

Medicare, Medicaid and some private health insurance companies may only pay for specific meters or have limitations on their reimbursement cost. Check with our insurance verification specialists to see what your reimbursement would be for your diabetes supplies.

Ease of Use
Meters come in all different colors, styles and sizes. Smaller meters may be more convenient for a child to carry with them, but they also require more dexterity to use. If you have any issues with your vision, look for a meter that has a larger display. There are also meters that speak and read the test results aloud to you. Make sure you pay attention to the packaging for the test strips -- are they going to be easy to open? Some test strips may be easier to use than others. Check on how much of a blood sample is needed and whether or not the strips need to be wiped clean.

Support
Some meters come with a video that demonstrates the correct way to use the meter. Many meter manufacturers include a toll-free number on the packaging that you can call for help. Also, speak your doctor and Diabetes Supply-Care Specialist to familiarize yourself with the meter you're considering.

Smart Meters
Some meters store a certain number of blood glucose results in its memory (anywhere from a few to 250 readings) for you. This can be helpful if you need to test when you are visiting or on the go. You can even find meters with data management systems that track more detailed data that can be downloaded right on to your personal computer. Some meters can display languages other than English. It's up to you and your Diabetes Supply-Care Specialist to decide which features would be the best for you.