Overview-Diabetes

Diabetes Overview

There two common types of diabetes- Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes. Type 1
Diabetes occurs in childhood; the body does not produce insulin. Daily insulin injections are
required to maintain the life. While, Type 2 Diabetes occurs in adulthood; the body does not
produce enough insulin. It is related to obesity and lack of exercise.

Risk factors for diabetes include obesity, old age, certain ethnic group, high blood pressure,
high triglyceride and high cholesterol levels. The symptoms related to high glucose levels
include frequent urination, excessive thirst, hunger, fatigue, weight loss and blurry vision.
People suffered from Type 1 Diabetes may develop symptoms over a short period of time
and they usually have high glucose and ketone levels. Both glucose and ketone may be
found in urine. High ketone levels can lead to acidosis, i.e. low blood pH.

The basic treatments for diabetes are to stabilize the blood sugar and eliminate the
symptoms of high blood sugar. Prevention of long-term complications such as heart disease
and kidney failure are important. Diet, exercise, weight control, medication, blood glucose
self-testing, and foot care are vital for good control of diabetes and prevention of its
complications.Recently, there is a breakthrough for islet cell transplant technology and it may
become the main treatment for diabetes, especially Diabetes Type 1.

BREAKING NEWS - APRIL 2005

Shinichi Matsumoto at Kyoto University Hospital, Japan, successfully transplanted
insulinmaking cells, i.e. islets, from a living donor's pancreas into a woman suffered from
insulin-dependent diabetes for years. This is the first successful transplantation using the
islets from a living donor. Now, both women have a healthy tolerance to glucose.
Pancreatic Cell Transplant from Living Donor Could Treat Diabetes, Newswire, April 18, 2006.

Diabetes (Diabetes mellitus) is a life-long disease characterized by elevated sugar levels in the blood. It
affects more than 16 million Americans. When food is digested, glucose enters the bloodstream. At the
same time, pancreas releases insulin to regulate the glucose levels in the bloodstream. When pancreas
does not produce enough insulin or the cells in our body e.g. liver cells, fat cells and muscle do not
respond to insulin, high blood glucose occurs.