All that you Need to know about Diabetes

Insulin, a vital hormone in our body is what converts the sugar and all the other food that we consume into energy. Non-production of this essential hormone or when it ceases to act effectively, the person is termed as diabetic. Although the actual cause of this disease still remains unknown, genetic and other external factors are said to contribute largely. According to recent studies almost 7% of the American population including children, are affected by this disease. Essentially two tests Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (FPGT) and the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) can determine if a person is pre-diabetic or diabetic. Both these tests provide rather accurate results but the FPGT is the preferred one because it is a simpler test which gives out the result fast and is also easy on one’s pocket.

There are essentially four types of diabetes condition namely Type 1, Type 2, Gestational Diabetes and lastly pre –diabetes. Type1 is generally the condition that is found in children and also in young adults. Also known as juvenile diabetes, the insulin production in the body here is nil.

The next is that of Type2 diabetes which is the most common of all diabetic conditions. Here either the insulin produced by the body is insufficient or the cells disregard the insulin produced. When one is affected by the disease the first thing that happens to the body is that the cells do not have the requisite energy and later on the condition might lead to the disease affecting other parts of your body like the kidneys, heart, nerves and even the eyes. This kind of diabetes can affect any person, age and ethnicity playing no barriers.

The third scenario is that of gestational diabetes which is when a pregnant woman is detected with the disease. It is usually seen in the latter part of the pregnancy period and has to be monitored properly or else it is likely that the baby might be affected.
The last condition is that of pre-diabetes where the person is not diabetic but the blood glucose level is at the higher end than the normal level which indicates that the person is prone to the disease.

Diabetes is a disease which needs to be attended to with care. There is no need to fear as there are far too many cases to prove that a disciplined lifestyle can make the person lead a normal, healthy and happy life.