Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease. There are two types of diabetes, type 1, and type 2. This is the fastest growing disease in America, with 50% of the adults being diagnosed with it. This disease is number six in the leading cause of death. There are about 225,000 people that die from related complications of diabetes. Diabetes is caused from the body producing, too much glucose in the blood. In a healthy person glucose enters the blood stream from the organs. The pancreas produces insulin, then, the insulin tells the body to take out some glucose from the blood. Type 1 diabetes is an immune disorder. In a person with type 1 diabetes the pancreas produces a little bit or none at all of the insulin, due to the cells being destroyed. Then there is no glucose removed from the blood stream. Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder. In type 2 diabetes, cells in the pancreas will produce ineffective insulin. The glucose is then not able to enter the body cells effectively.
Type 1 diabetes use to be called juvenile diabetes because it usually appeared in adolescence. It appears very quickly. People with type 1 have to be dependant on insulin shots daily. If you are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, you have to monitor your diet and your exercise very carefully. You also have to check your blood glucose level three times a day.
People with type 2 diabetes cannot use insulin because their body is either resistant to its effect or their pancreas does not make enough insulin. This is called insulin resistance. Unlike type 1 diabetes this disease comes on very slowly. This form usually shows up in someone around the age of 40. Some of the risk factors that you have no control over are biological factors, genetic factors, age and certain ethnicities. It’s hard to believe that one in five adults over 55 years of age have type 2, diabetes. You can help