by Julia Hanf
Exactly how diabetes is treated depends on a number of factors: which type the patient has, how severe it is, the age of the patient and others.
For example, pregnant women may suffer from gestational diabetes, which most often begins between the 24th and 28th week; after birth this condition can disappear. If mild, gestational diabetes may need no treatment other than careful monitoring; other cases may need dietary adjustments or medications. On the other side of the spectrum, Type 1 diabetes is not curable with current methods and will generally need lifetime insulin treatments.
There are many other forms of treatment, most of them based on self-care.
On the more extensive end of treatments there are a variety of drugs used apart from insulin.
For instance, Sulfonylureas (Micronase and Glucotrol) prompt the body to make sufficient insulin. These medications are used for Type 1 diabetes, which stems from low insulin production. Since Type 2 involves the inefficient use of insulin, Biguanides (Glocphage, and others), which increase the efficient use of insulin are helpful. Type 2 can also be treated with Thiazolidinediones (Avedia, and others) which increase the cells’ insulin sensitivity.
by Julia Hanf
The long term prospects for a person with diabetes are not set in stone. In many cases, they are a matter of choice.
In order to head off problems, you must understand the possible complications that accompany diabetes and its treatments.
People taking insulin can experience hypoglycemia–low blood sugar. Hypoglycemia can cause many problems, including coma. Muscle weakness and headaches are common signs of mild hypoglycemia.
Missing an insulin dose or having an infection can cause diabetic acidosis-a life threatening condition. Type 1 diabetics are more prone to diabetic acidosis than Type 2 diabetics are.
Insulin helps regulate blood glucose levels, but it also plays a role in burning body fat. When the insulin level drops drastically, the body starts burning fat, producing a characteristic ketone smell from the breath. The body tries to reduce the condition by inducing rapid breathing. But that strategy can only succeed to a certain degree.
Diabetic retinopathy-damage of the retina from excess blood vessel growth is yet another possible complication facing you if you are diabetic. Kidney malfunction due to deterioration of the glomeruli is another common complication of diabetes.
But none of these conditions is inevitable, particularly today.
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Diabetes - Long Term Prospects for Diabetes Patients
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by Julia Hanf
Diabetes is a challenge. However, the enjoyable challenge of exercise can help the majority of diabetics manage their disease. Exercise can directly improve diabetes, as well as increase your overall health and help you ward off future complications. To provide these benefits, it must be properly done.
It is especially important for diabetics to get their physician’s advice before beginning an exercise regimen. Ask your doctor for realistic suggestions and insist on understandable answers. You must know your limits and what exercises are appropriate for you. The degree of exercise that can be safely undertaken will vary according to your fitness level and overall health. It will also vary according to your condition on a particular day.
In response to exercise the blood glucose level rises. This response varies from day to day and from individual to individual. With vigorous exercise, a high glucose level of 300 mg/dL can rapidly rise to a dangerous level. If you have Type 1 diabetes with a fasting glucose level beyond 250 mg/dL you probably have ketones in your urine. Exercising in this condition can raise your ketones to a dangerous level known as diabetic ketoacidosis.
by Julia Hanf
The factors causing diabetes are extremely complex and poorly understood. The multiple types of the disease confuse the matter further, since each type has it own risk factors. The majority of cases in the United States are Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Each form is a result on numerous hereditary and environmental influences.
Of those, Type 2 is far and away the most common, about 90% of cases.
Obesity is thought to be a major contributor to Type 2 diabetes. Being overweight is a good prototype for a cause since it is itself a combination of genetic background and lifestyle choices. Though the diet opted for and the amount of exercise one chooses to undertake are lifestyle choices, it’s still true that some individuals gain or shed weight more easily than others.
Obesity and genetics are not the only factors for diabetes.
Gestational diabetes (diabetes that occurs during pregnancy) can add to your future risk of Type 2 diabetes, even though the condition disappears after delivery. Approximately 40 % of women who experience gestational diabetes will develop Type 2 diabetes. Usually this happens 5-10 years after they give birth. Large babies indicate a greater risk of diabetes for the mother.
by Julia Hanf
Medical experts are unsure exactly why some people develop diabetes and others don’t. Because there are different forms of diabetes, the medical puzzle is even more complicated. The two most common forms are Type 1 and Type 2. The majority of diabetics (90%) have Type 2 diabetes.
Individuals at risk for diabetes and those already suffering from it are lucky because many lifestyle choices can help prevent or control the condition. Of course, factors like genetics are not alterable, but healthy lifestyle changes can benefit even people with a genetic risk for diabetes.
Obesity is widely recognized as one of the leading risk factors for developing Type 2 diabetes. While there is a genetic influence - some shed or gain weight and body fat more easily than others - it is subject to influence by choices. A high BMI (Body Mass Index) is an adjustable number with the proper diet and exercise. A BMI of higher than 27 correlates with increased risk of Type 2 diabetes. The number should not be taken as a sole determinant, however, since its diagnostic value is less for those who are very muscular or are pregnant. But a high BMI is an indicator of obesity and should be checked.
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Changing your Lifestyle can lower your risk for Diabetes
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