Diabetes

Normally, when a person eats, food is broken down into glucose and other simple sugars. Glucose is absorbed into the blood stream, transferred to cells and used by cells for energy. Cells need glucose to function properly. After a person has eaten, blood glucose levels rise. Insulin is released from the pancreas as blood glucose levels increase. Insulin attaches to cells and a pathway is made for glucose to go into the cells. Glucose goes from the blood into the cells and the blood glucose is lowered.

When there is not enough insulin, or when the insulin is not effective in helping the glucose get into the cells, high levels of glucose in the blood occurs. This rise in blood glucose levels is hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). When a person's fasting blood sugar is 126 mG/dL or higher on two successive tests, they are classified as having diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin and is a serious metabolic disease affecting millions of people around the world and it exists as two types called Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use sugar. Sugar is the basic fuel for the cells in the body, and insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. With little or no insulin action, the glucose cannot enter the cells. Instead, it builds up in the blood.

A person who is diagnosed with diabetes (by a blood test) should regularly monitor his or her blood glucose levels. Monitoring glucose levels provides information about the effects of food intake, medication, activity and stress as glucose levels change throughout the day and night. Self-monitoring provides results that are used to determine if the person must adjust insulin, other diabetic medications, diet and/or activity to achieve optimal diabetes self-management.

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