How Does Diabetes Affect Your Body?
Your diabetes care team may seem like they are nagging you to keep your condition well managed, but there's good reason for keeping your test results within target ranges: you'll feel better, and help to avoid damaging complications as a side effect of diabetes. Diabetes and the high blood sugar it can cause can affect nearly every organ in your body, including: Heart and blood vessels - Heart disease and blood vessel disease are common problems for many people who don’t have their diabetes under control. This increases the risk of having a stroke or heart attack. Blood vessel damage or nerve damage also risks leg and foot amputations. Eyes - Vision loss or eyesight being affected can be a side-effect of diabetes over time. That's why the NHS arranges special examinations of the back of the eyes every year for people with diabetes to check for signs of diabetic retinopathy. Kidney disease - Diabetes can affect the kidneys over time. You might not notice any symptoms to begin with due to diabetes-related kidney disease, but it can cause swelling of the legs and feet. As well as keeping diabetes under control, having blood pressure in a healthy range is also important for your kidneys. Nerves - Over time, high blood sugar levels can damage your nerves and this can cause peripheral diabetic neuropathy with pain and burning, or a loss of feeling in your feet. This may begin with the toes and spread to hands and other parts of the body. Nerve problems can also cause erectile dysfunction in men, digestive issues ( gastroparesis), bladder problems, fainting or a lack of awareness of low blood sugar levels (hypos). Teeth and gums - Diabetes increases your risk of gum disease, making them red, swollen and more likely to bleed. Make sure your dentist knows about your diabetes a Continue reading >>
About Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that affects how your body turns food into energy. Most of the food you eat is broken down into sugar (also called glucose) and released into your bloodstream. Your pancreas makes a hormone called insulin, which acts like a key to let the blood sugar into your body’s cells for use as energy. If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use the insulin it makes as well as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream, which over time can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease. There isn’t a cure yet for diabetes, but healthy lifestyle habits, taking medicine as needed, getting diabetes self-management education, and keeping appointments with your health care team can greatly reduce its impact on your life. 30.3 million US adults have diabetes, and 1 in 4 of them don’t know they have it. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the US. Diabetes is the No. 1 cause of kidney failure, lower-limb amputations, and adult-onset blindness. In the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than tripled as the American population has aged and become more overweight or obese. Types of Diabetes There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant). Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistake) that stops your body from making insulin. About 5% of the people who have diabetes have type 1. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes often develop quickly. It’s usually diagnosed in children, teens, and young adults. If you have type 1 diabetes, you’ll need t Continue reading >>
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
- Leeds diabetes clinical champion raises awareness of gestational diabetes for World Diabetes Day
- Diabetes doctors: Which specialists treat diabetes?
Why Does Obesity Cause Diabetes?
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the common type of diabetes, type 2 diabetes. In this disease, the body makes enough insulin but the cells in the body have become resistant to the salutary action of insulin. Why does this happen? New Research: A report this week in Science proposes that being overweight stresses the insides of individual cells. Specifically, overeating stresses the membranous network inside of cells called endoplasmic reticulum (ER). When the ER has more nutrients to process than it can handle, it sends out an alarm signal telling the cell to dampen down the insulin receptors on the cell surface. This translates to insulin resistance and to persistently high concentrations of the sugar glucose in the blood -- one of the sure signs of diabetes. Comment: Research into diabetes today is far ranging. It ranges from the environment to the deep dark recesses of the single cell. It is much easier to look at the environment, for example, "Super Size Me" in a fast-food culture, than it is to sort out what is going on inside the workings of an individual cell. Barbara K. Hecht, Ph.D. Frederick Hecht, M.D. Medical Editors, MedicineNet.com Study Suggests How Obesity Causes Diabetes HealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, Oct. 14 (HealthDayNews) -- Scientists know that obesity is a key player in the development of type 2 diabetes, but exactly how excess weight causes the disease isn't clear. While trying to answer that question, Harvard University researchers have discovered a new pathway that sets in motion a series of reactions that leads to the development of insulin resistance, a precursor of type 2 diabetes, a new study reports. The researchers found that obesity causes stress in a system of cellular membranes called endoplasmic reticulum (ER Continue reading >>
How Diabetes Affects The Digestive System
With an increase of glucose in the blood, our digestive systems can experience problems with absorbing necessary nutrients. Diabetes is currently one of the most common health conditions. This illness arises when the body is not capable of producing insulin, something that usually helps regulate the amount of sugar in the blood. Diabetes varies in type and severity, but regardless of these details they all pose health risks. While it continues to be incurable, it is treatable. For this reason, we are about to explain in detail how diabetes affects the digestive system. Legionella Testing Lab - High Quality Lab Results CDC ELITE & NYSDOH ELAP Certified - Fast Results North America Lab Locations legionellatesting.com The functions of the digestive system One of the most important systems in a human being is the digestive system. It is a network of organs including the mouth, the pharynx, and the stomach, which must transform food into something that can be absorbed by parts of the body, mainly cells, so that it can function. The complete digestive cycle is comprised of transportation, secretion, absorption, and excretion in order for the body to function properly. It supplies all of the nutrients our bodies need through this process. It also allows us to clean or dispose of those elements that our bodies no longer need. How diabetes affects the digestive system As we already know, digestion is an automatic process. This means that our body does not require a conscious stimulus to work and digest food. The opposite is actually true, the digestive system operates on its own thanks to the nervous system. Diabetes creates issues with this system that prevent proper functioning of the digestive system. When the blood has an increased amount of glucose, our digestive system can Continue reading >>
How Does Diabetes Affect The Human Body?
I am not an expert, Just a Learner. Knowing how diabetes affects your body can help you look after your body and prevent diabetic complications from developing. Many of the effects of diabetes stem from the same guilty parties; namely high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and a lack of blood glucose control. Signs of diabetes When undiagnosed or uncontrolled, the effects of diabetes on the body can be noticed by the classic symptoms of diabetes, namely: Long term effects of diabetes on the body In addition to the symptoms, diabetes can cause long term damage to our body. The long term damage is commonly referred to as diabetic complications. Diabetes affects our blood vessels and nerves and therefore can affect any part of the body. However, certain parts of our body are affected more than other parts. Diabetic complications will usually take a number of years of poorly controlled diabetes to develop. Complications are not a certainty and can be kept at bay and prevented by maintaining a strong level of control on your diabetes, your blood pressure and cholesterol. These can all be helped by keeping to a healthy diet, avoiding cigarettes and alcohol, and incorporating regular activity into your daily regime in order to keep blood sugar levels within recommendedblood glucose level guidelines. The effect of diabetes on the heart Diabetes contributes to high blood pressure and is linked with high cholesterol which significantly increases the risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular disease. Diabetes and strokes Similar to how diabetes affects the heart, high blood pressure and cholesterol raises the risk of strokes. How diabetes affects the eyes As with all complications, this condition is brought on by a number of years of poorly controlled or uncontrolled diabetes Continue reading >>
Avoiding Complications Of Diabetes
It can take work to get your diabetes under control, but the results are worth it. If you don't make the effort to get a handle on it, you could set yourself up for a host of complications. Diabetes can take a toll on nearly every organ in your body, including the: Heart and blood vessels Eyes Kidneys Nerves Gastrointestinal tract Gums and teeth Heart and Blood Vessels Heart disease and blood vessel disease are common problems for many people who don’t have their diabetes under control. You're at least twice as likely to have heart problems and strokes as people who don’t have the condition. Blood vessel damage or nerve damage may also cause foot problems that, in rare cases, can lead to amputations. People with diabetes are ten times likelier to have their toes and feet removed than those without the disease. Symptoms: You might not notice warning signs until you have a heart attack or stroke. Problems with large blood vessels in your legs can cause leg cramps, changes in skin color, and less sensation. The good news: Many studies show that controlling your diabetes can help you avoid these problems, or stop them from getting worse if you have them. Diabetes is the leading cause of new vision loss among adults ages 20 to 74 in the U.S. It can lead to eye problems, some of which can cause blindness if not treated: Glaucoma Cataracts Diabetic retinopathy, which involves the small blood vessels in your eyes Symptoms: Vision problems or sudden vision loss. The good news: Studies show that regular eye exams and timely treatment of these kinds of problems could prevent up to 90% of diabetes-related blindness. *CGM-based treatment requires fingersticks for calibration, if patient is taking acetaminophen, or if symptoms/expectations do not match CGM readings, and if not pe Continue reading >>
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is an incurable condition in which the body cannot control blood sugar levels, because of problems with the hormone insulin. There are two main variations of the illness, Type I and Type II. How does the body control blood sugar levels? Your body uses blood sugar (glucose) for energy. Glucose is a basic ingredient of sweet foods such as sweets and cakes. It can also be produced by carbohydrates such as potatoes, pasta or bread when they are digested and broken down. Under normal circumstances, the hormone insulin, which is made by your pancreas, carefully regulates how much glucose is in the blood. Insulin stimulates cells all over your body to absorb enough glucose from the blood to provide the energy, or fuel, that they need. After a meal, the amount of glucose in your blood rises, which triggers the release of insulin. When blood glucose levels fall, during exercise for example, insulin levels fall too. Types of diabetes There are two main types of diabetes. In Type 1 diabetes the cells of the pancreas stop making insulin. In Type 2 diabetes, either the pancreas cells do not make enough insulin, or the body's cells do not react properly to it. This is known as insulin resistance. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition, and the immune system attacks the cells of the pancreas. It tends to affect people before the age of 40, and often follows a trigger such as a viral infection. The exact mechanisms that lead to Type 2 diabetes are not fully understood, but an underlying genetic susceptibility is usually present. This could be a family history of the illness, for example. The condition is then triggered by lifestyle factors - such as obesity - and it usually appears in people over the age of 40. There are three other, less common, forms of diabetes: Gestati Continue reading >>
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
- Leeds diabetes clinical champion raises awareness of gestational diabetes for World Diabetes Day
- Diabetes doctors: Which specialists treat diabetes?
6 Unexpected Side Effects Of Diabetes
When we hear "diabetes," we tend to think of problems with producing insulin and regulating blood sugar. And that's definitely a key part of this chronic disease, which affects nearly 1 in 10 Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. "Diabetes is like termites, in that it causes slow, hidden, but significant damage in the body," says Osama Hamdy, MD, PhD, director of the Inpatient Diabetes Program at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. Diabetes has been linked to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, metabolic syndrome, coronary heart disease, kidney failure, nerve damage that can lead to loss of limbs, cataracts and vision loss, reduced ability to fight infection and inflammation, and problems in pregnancy. "Most patients with type 2 diabetes die from a heart attack," Hamdy says, "but because the disease doesn't have many symptoms, people tend to take it lightly." (Here's the thing: Diabetes doesn't have to be your fate. Rodale's new book, How To Beat Diabetes Naturally shows you exactly what to eat and do to take your life back.) And evidence continues to mount that diabetes affects every system in the body and can wreak havoc if it's not well managed. The latest example, a study published in the journal Neurology, suggests that diabetes zaps brainpower. A team of Harvard neurologists and psychiatrists followed men and women with type 2 diabetes, examining blood flow to different regions of their brains and testing their intellectual performance. After 2 years, participants' cognitive abilities showed signs of falling off, specifically their executive functioning—the ability to plan, organize, remember things, prioritize, pay attention, and get started on tasks. "It appears that people Continue reading >>
Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus is a condition that results when the pancreas produces little or no insulin, or when the cells of the body cannot use the insulin produced effectively. When insulin is absent or ineffective, the cells of the body cannot absorb glucose (sugar) from blood to provide the body with energy. KEYWORDS for searching the Internet and other reference sources Carbohydrate metabolism Insulin resistance Polyuria Melinda's Story Melinda had just turned twelve and felt hungry all the time. Her stomach growled in class and her after-school snack no longer held her until dinner. No matter how many trips she made to the school water fountain, she was always thirsty. Even worse, she could not believe how often she needed to go to the bathroom. One of her teachers, after signing Melinda's seventh bathroom pass for the day, suggested that Melinda ask her parents to take her to the doctor. She thought that Melinda might have diabetes, and she was right. What Is Diabetes? Diabetes is a group of related diseases characterized by elevated levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. It is caused by the failure of the pancreas to produce sufficient insulin, or any insulin at all. It can also be caused by the failure of the body's cells to make proper use of the insulin that is produced. * hormones are chemicals that are produced by different glands in the body. Hormones are like the body's ambassadors: they are created in one place but are sent through the body to have specific regulatory effects in different places. The pancreas, the site of insulin production, is a large gland near the stomach. It contains groups of cells that function like tiny factories, producing different hormones * at exactly the right time and in the right amount. These groups (or "islands") of cells are cal Continue reading >>
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
- Leeds diabetes clinical champion raises awareness of gestational diabetes for World Diabetes Day
- Diabetes doctors: Which specialists treat diabetes?
How Does Diabetes Affect Homeostasis?
A little Something About Diabetes Diabetes is a health condition that affects the ability of your body to deal with your blood sugar. Your blood sugar comes from the food you eat. To break this sugar into energy, your body needs a hormone called “insulin”. Insulin is a chemical your body produces that helps you break sugar down into energy. What is homeostasis? Homeostasis is a combination of two words: homeo means “similar” and stasis means “stable”. In other words, homeostasis is the ability for something to remain stable. Here is an example for you to understand better. Take your body for example. When you feel hot, you start to sweat. Your sweat is basically a way your body uses to cool you down. This way, your body does not allow your temperature to rise even in summers. In other words, your body maintains a balance or homeostasis. Why Does Diabetes Affects Homeostasis? Your temperature is just one example of how the system tries to maintain a balance of every process in your body. There is so much going on inside your body, if it were not for your closely monitored homeostasis, survival wouldn’t be possible. This is how the human body evolved over thousands of years. But diabetes affects this state of balance in your body. When you have diabetes, it means a lot of extra sugar in your system, which is just there doing nothing. Excess of everything is bad and same is true for excess of sugar. When something disturbs your bodies homeostasis, you should expect some consequences. It’s like you’re crashing your car into something. When that happens, you should expect some damages to your vehicle. Similarly, the following are some outcomes of excess sugar in your body: Extra sugar damages your brain. It hurts your heart. It makes you pee more. You eat m Continue reading >>
How Does Diabetes Affect The Cells Of The Body?
This is an "Ask the Doctor Question" and the response. We felt that this question and answer was informative. Question: I would like to know how the cells in the body react when someone has diabetes and how is this different from someone who does not have diabetes? Answer: You have asked a complex question. I will try to explain this as clearly as I can. People who have diabetes have a lack of insulin in their blood. Insulin is made in an organ called the pancreas. Insulin is important to allow glucose (blood sugar) to get into the cells of the body. Put another way, insulin opens the door to let blood sugar to enter most cells in the body. Blood sugar is a food for the bodies cells. If insulin is low or absent in the blood then the cells don't get fed the blood sugar they need. If the blood sugar can not get into the bodies cells then it builds up in the blood stream and the sugar count increases on the blood tests that we do. Also, as the blood sugar increases and can not get into the bodies cells it has the effect of drawing water out of the cells and shrinks them up making them even less healthy. The nerves in the body are affected a bit differently. Nerve cells will allow blood sugar in with out insulin, however without insulin present the sugar is not used by the nerve cell properly and the sugar accumulates in the cell. Over time this will damage the nerve cell and cause the nerve to die. This causes numbness and tingling in the feet and sometimes in the hands.Blood vessels are also made up of cells. As the sugar builds up in these cells it swells them up and this causes a narrowing of the blood vessel. This causes a decrease in the circulation to the feet, the kidneys and the eyes. This is why people with diabetes often loose their legs their eye sight and kidne Continue reading >>
Diabetes Can Affect Almost All Organ Systems Within The Body
One in eight Americans older than 20 has diabetes. Most of us know at least one person who has suffered from the complications of this disease. These complications can affect almost every organ system in the body, including the brain, heart, kidneys, eyes, nervous system, skin and soft tissues. If uncontrolled, diabetes can lead to stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, blindness, chronic pain and amputations. Fortunately, years of research have helped us understand the most effective ways to control diabetes and prevent these complications. Strategies to protect your organs from the complications of diabetes can be reduced to four basic principles: 1. Build a strong and lasting partnership with your primary care provider; 2. Take your medications regularly and as directed; 3. Keep your blood sugar under control; and 4. Keep your blood pressure under control. The foundation of any diabetes treatment program is your relationship with your doctor. Diabetes is a chronic disease process that requires constant and vigilant management. Just as routine maintenance on your car can prevent costly repairs, regular visits to your primary care provider can help you avoid the severe repercussions of diabetes. The damage that diabetes does to your body can be unseen for many years, yet it continues to accumulate. Your first sign of this damage could be a heart attack or stroke. Your doctor can review your blood sugars, check necessary labs, make appropriate changes to your medications, and make needed referrals to specialists such as heart, eye or kidney doctors. Taking medications regularly and as directed is more difficult than it sounds. In our busy lives, it is easy to forget taking pills or measuring blood sugars. Particularly for those who care for a sick parent or spouse, self- Continue reading >>
Here’s What Prediabetes Means And How It Affects Our Body
About 80 million people in India have prediabetes, a silent epidemic, in which the blood sugar levels are slightly higher than normal but not high enough to signify diabetes. In this, the fasting plasma glucose is 100 mg/dl – 125 mg/dl and Oral Glucose tolerance test (OGTT) ranges from 140 mg/dl – 199 mg/dl with HbA1C levels of around 5.7 to 6.4%. According to Ms Taranjeet Kaur, Metabolic balance coach & Sr. nutritionist, AktivOrtho, prediabetes commonly occurs in people who already have insulin resistance. Although insulin resistance is not the only reason for diabetes type 2, it creates the basis by creating the high demand on insulin-producing beta cells. People with insulin resistance produce as much as six times the normal amount of insulin when they eat carbohydrates. Gradually when the beta cells can no longer produce enough insulin to overcome the insulin resistance and the blood sugar levels rise above normal, a person is said to be prediabetic. After this stage, due to continuous loss of beta cells, the person develops type 2 diabetes. As insulin acts as a key hormone which controls a major part of our body’s metabolism, excess production of this hormone leads to an imbalance in our metabolism. Thus, it is important for us to take care of ourselves in the insulin resistance stage. ‘As prediabetes can progress into full blown diabetes within a span of one-two years, if left uncontrolled, ignoring even a slight change in your blood glucose might be harmful to your body. Hence, it is important to know how prediabetes affects different parts of the body’, says Taranjeet. Heart: The high blood glucose causes hardening of the arteries along with leading an imbalance in the lipid profile. This not only increases the lipid production leading to clogging of t Continue reading >>
Effects Of Diabetes On The Body And Organs
Over time, the raised blood sugar levels that result from diabetes can cause a wide range of serious health issues. But what do these health issues involve, and how are the organs of the body affected? Can these effects be minimized? When people have diabetes, the body either does not make enough insulin or cannot use what it has effectively. As a result, the amount of sugar in the blood becomes higher than it should be. Glucose, or blood sugar, is the main power source for the human body. It comes from the food people eat. The hormone insulin helps the cells of the body convert glucose into fuel. Fortunately, taking a proactive approach to this chronic disease through medical care, lifestyle changes, and medication can help limit its effects. Effect on systems and organs The effects of diabetes can be seen on systems throughout the body, including: The circulatory system Diabetes can damage large blood vessels, causing macrovascular disease. It can also damage small blood vessels, causing what is called microvascular disease. Complications from macrovascular disease include heart attack and stroke. However, macrovascular disease can be prevented by: Microvascular disease can cause eye, kidney, and nerve problems, but good control of diabetes can help prevent these complications. The cardiovascular system Excess blood sugar decreases the elasticity of blood vessels and causes them to narrow, impeding blood flow. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute say diabetes is as big a risk factor for heart disease as smoking or high cholesterol. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the risk of stroke or dying of heart disease increases by 200-400 percent for adults with diabetes. The nervous system When people have diabetes, they can develop n Continue reading >>
Body Areas Affected By Diabetes
XIAFLEX® is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with Dupuytren's contracture when a "cord" can be felt. It is not known if XIAFLEX® is safe and effective in children under the age of 18. Do not receive XIAFLEX® if you have had an allergic reaction to collagenase clostridium histolyticum or any of the ingredients in XIAFLEX®, or to any other collagenase product. See the end of the Medication Guide for a complete list of ingredients in XIAFLEX®. XIAFLEX® can cause serious side effects, including: Tendon rupture or ligament damage. Receiving an injection of XIAFLEX® may cause damage to a tendon or ligament in your hand and cause it to break or weaken. This could require surgery to fix the damaged tendon or ligament. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have trouble bending your injected finger (towards the wrist) after the swelling goes down or you have problems using your treated hand after your follow-up visit Nerve injury or other serious injury of the hand. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get numbness, tingling, increased pain, or tears in the skin (laceration) in your treated finger or hand after your injection or after your follow-up visit Hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis. Severe allergic reactions can happen in people who receive XIAFLEX® because it contains foreign proteins. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms of an allergic reaction after an injection of XIAFLEX®: hives swollen face breathing trouble chest pain low blood pressure dizziness or fainting Increased chance of bleeding. Bleeding or bruising at the injection site can happen in people who receive XIAFLEX®. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have a problem with your blood clotting. XIAFLEX® may not b Continue reading >>
