Diabetes World

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2008-12-25T23:35:00.000-08:00

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Diabetes rate doubles in U.S. in last 10 years

2008-11-06T23:23:00.000-08:00

ATLANTA - The nation's obesity epidemic is exacting a heavy toll: The rate of new diabetes cases nearly doubled in the United States in the past 10 years, the government said Thursday.

The highest rates were in the South, according to the first state-by-state review of new diagnoses. The worst was in West Virginia, where about 13 in 1,000 adults were diagnosed with the disease in 2005-07. The lowest was in Minnesota, where the rate was 5 in 1,000.

Nationally, the rate of new cases climbed from about 5 per 1,000 in the mid-1990s to 9 per 1,000 in the middle of this decade.

Sources.

Sugar Studied for Treatment of Diabetes

2008-11-06T23:21:00.000-08:00

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Researchers at the University of Maryland are studying the use of a sweetener to treat diabetes. Doctors are researching a low-calorie sweetener called tagatose, a sugar found naturally in dairy and used in sodas, cereals and toothpaste. Diabetes patients given the sweetener saw improvements in their blood sugar and reductions in weight. Doctors found that those who consumed tagatose before meals did not have the typical spikes in blood sugar after eating. Doctors believe it works because of how it is metabolized in the body. Sources.

DEPRESSION INCREASES MORTALITY RATE IN PEOPLE WITH DIABETES

2008-11-06T23:20:00.000-08:00

A new study of Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes discovered individuals who were depressed experienced a higher death rate than diabetics who were not depressed. The findings are published in the October 2008 Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Lead author Dr. Wayne Katon, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington (UW), noted that previous research indicates that depression and diabetes is a potentially lethal mix among young to middle-aged patients. Depression also puts patients at greater risk of complications from their diabetes. This more recent study suggests that depression is also a risk factor for mortality in older patients with diabetes. Most Medicare beneficiaries, like the ones in this study, are over age 65. The mean age of the participants was 75.6 years. The study tracked 10,704 Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes who were enrolled in a disease management program in Florida.

They were surveyed at the start of the study with a health assessment questionnaire. Evidence of depression among members of the group came from physician diagnosis, patient reports of having a prescription for an antidepressant in the year before the survey, or patient answers to a brief screening test. For the next two years, the research team recorded the death and cause of death of participants through bi-monthly checks of Medicare claims and eligibility files, or from phone calls with the participants’ families. The research team found that patients with both diabetes and depression had an increased risk of about 36 percent to 38 percent of dying from any cause during the two-year follow-up. Participants with a physician diagnosis of depression were significantly younger than their cohorts, more likely to be female, had more severe medical illness, were less likely to be African-American, and more likely to be Hispanic.

St. John's - Story

2008-09-04T23:38:00.000-07:00

Diabetes is a serious disease, which, if not controlled, can be life threatening. It is often associated with long-term complications that can affect every system and part of the body.

Diabetes can, among other things, contribute to eye disorders and blindness, heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, amputation, and nerve damage. It can affect pregnancy and cause birth defects, as well.

Although diabetes is a chronic and incurable disease (with the exception of gestational diabetes), with proper medical care, clinical therapies, diet, hygiene, and exercise, symptoms and complications can be successfully treated and managed.

St. John's is committed to helping you successfully manage your diabetes. Our Certified Diabetes Educators (CDEs) provide a variety of services for all people with diabetes - from newly diagnosed diabetics to people who have had diabetes for many years.

St. John's diabetes self-management training and education programs include the latest information on nutrition and meal planning, shopping for food, eating out, medication, insulin administration, exercise, blood glucose monitoring, managing blood sugar, psychological adjustment, prevention of complications and insulin pumps. See more.

http://Kumpulblogger.com/signup.php?refid=12975

DIABETES and Depleted Uranium DU Global impacts of Radiation

2008-09-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

[source: Japanese government vital health statistics 1899-2003] Japn govt health statistics 1899-2003, chief causes of mortality. Around 1950 the use of antibiotics caused infectious diseases (the main cause of death until then) to decline to almost nothing. Since bacteria, viruses and parasites cause cancer, the cancer rate should also have declined. BUT after 1945, cancer took over as the main cause of death and continued to rise with the introduction of each new nuclear technology (atmospheric testing, nuke plants, Depleted Uranium). Note that mortality from cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases also increased - that's the damage to the mitochondria which have the highest concentrations in the heart and brain (50% of the bulk mass). DU+Depleted Uranium Global Impact of Radiation 1945-2003.

[source: New York Times Jan. 9, 20061 Global diabetes map from NY Times Jan 9, 2006.] Its a fallout/rainout map from atmospheric testing radiation and you can see that the jet stream is the main transport mechanism. US map indicates that the highest diabetes rates in the US are along the Gulf Coast states where the Depleted Uranium is carried across the Atlantic on Westerlies and rained out where the highest rainfall occurs along the Gulf Coast. Basically the US Govt. is shipping the most radioactive milk from dairies around nuke plants into black and poor inner city communities. Wash. DC looks the same and we have proved it with US Govt. measurements of rad in milk by city. [Jay Gould, DEADLY DECEIT: LOW LEVEL RADIATION HIGH LEVEL COVERUP, Chapter "Infant Mortality and Milk"].
See more.

35th World Vegetarian Congress 'Food for all our futures'

2008-09-04T23:11:00.000-07:00

My talk this afternoon is going to be on diabetes and the vegan diet. Unfortunately there have been few studies that have looked at the vegan diet and diabetes although a few have suggested that a vegan diet can relieve symptoms and perhaps prevent diabetes. It has been suggested that approximately 80-95% of cases of type 2 diabetes could be prevented and in Finland last year, it was demonstrated that with lifestyle interventions, increased activity, low fat diet and weight loss, the risk of diabetes was reduced by 58%. (Tuomilehto et al 2001)

This afternoon I wish to highlight the benefits of the vegan diet and how it may prevent against diabetes. I believe that often as vegans we have to prove that we can be healthy and getting enough of this, that and the other but we forget to look at the other side of the coin, how protective the vegan diet can be. However, I also wish to raise the fact that vegans are not immune from western diseases and still need to examine their lifestyle. Over recent years the diet of vegans and vegetarians has changed considerably with many high fat, high salt, high sugar convenience foods being available and there are an increasing number of vegans and vegetarians eating poor diets, taking less activity and putting on weight. However, there is no doubt that a vegan diet can be protective and perhaps prevent many western diseases and one of these may be diabetes! See more.

Calcium Imaging May Improve Cardiac Risk Picture in Diabetes

2008-09-04T23:09:00.000-07:00

Using computed tomography (CT) to image the calcification ofcoronary arteries may be a valuable way of assessing cardiacrisk—and more accurate than traditional means—accordingto researchers presenting at the 2006 Cardiometabolic HealthCongress, held October 19–21 in Boston.

Although the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) mortalityand morbidity is two to four times greater in people with diabetes,the tools available to clinicians to accurately assess CAD inpeople with diabetes are lacking, says Paolo Raggi, MD, of TulaneUniversity School of Medicine in New Orleans.

"Diabetic patients... have it worse, with higher mortality after coronaryartery bypass graft surgery and PCTA [percutaneous transluminal angioplasty],"Raggi says.

The usual methods of assessing coronary artery health, basedon detecting obstructed arteries, often are not useful in peoplewith diabetes because their acute coronary syndrome often occurswithout stenosis. See more.

My Son has Diabetes - Story

2008-09-04T23:07:00.000-07:00

Because it's NaBloPoMo and I'm tired I am going to post some of my pictures from Diabetes 365.

If you would like to read the description that goes with the pictures then you'll have to go to my page. Otherwise you can make up your own little story to go with the picture. See more the story.

Vascular Health and Diabetes

2008-09-04T23:05:00.000-07:00

If there is not enough insulin activity, or the body does not use the insulin effectively, the body's blood glucose rises. This condition with high blood glucose levels is called diabetes.

Glucose - The body requires a certain amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Too much causes damage to the body proteins. Too little prevents body cells from working properly. The amount of glucose is controlled by insulin.

Pancreas - Insulin comes from the pancreas, a gland lying just below the stomach. Insulin goes straight through the blood stream to the tissues where it acts. See more.

Diabetic Diet Sample

2008-09-04T23:03:00.000-07:00

While searching for a great article to kick off our Diabetic Diet Sample blog, we came across this wonderfully informative piece and knew we just had to add it here for your perusal!

Eating Well With Diabetes

It is possible for the person with diabetes to eat well and still manage their illness. The diabetic should seek out great recipes that will allow them to keep their blood sugar under control and their disease in check.

The person who is following the diabetic diet is actually eating a great deal healthier than the average person. The diabetes community has rallied around the nutritional approach to managing diabetes and come up with some wonderful and delicious recipes that are diabetic friendly. If you take a look online you will find a great many recipes and tips to making sure that your diabetic diet is varied and delicious.

All you have to do is take a look at the diabetes forums to see the kind of help and support that is available to the newly diagnosed patient. These forums are a great source of recipes and eating tips to keep the diabetic in new recipes for a long time to come. This is just what the diabetic person needs to help them on their road to a new healthy lifestyle. See more.

Diabetes - What Are the Effects?

2008-09-04T22:40:00.000-07:00

What is it about the effects of diabetes that can alter your life? That's a question on the minds of many who have been diagnosed with the illness.

You can observe lots of consequences in the symptoms of diabetes: urinating frequently, as much as every sixty minutes, is one of them and because of this, diabetics are also frequently thirsty. In addition, because diabetics lose some of the glucose (energy) they require via their urine, they very often feel weak as well as tired.

If the diabetes is left untreated, the individual will find they have frequent infections of the urinary tract. They may also be aware of their toes and fingers prickling because their veins and arteries have narrowed. Their vision could dim because unabsorbed glucose is also released into eye fluid. Male diabetics can become impotent and female diabetics may observe their menstrual periods stop.

Once diabetes is detected, the illness can be controlled, either by diet alone (for type 2) or with the use of insulin (type 1). One of the everyday effects of diabetes is that the individual must determine how to watch their blood sugar levels regularly; many times each day. To get this done, the affected individual must prick their finger to get a a small amount of of blood. The blood is placed onto a test strip and inserted into a hand-held instrument to gauge its glucose level. With the passage of time, the tops of the fingers become painful.

Diabetes Facts

2008-08-26T02:54:00.000-07:00

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease in which the body either fails to produce any insulin (type 1, also called insulin-dependent or juvenile-onset), or the insulin that it does produce is unable to adequately trigger the conversion of food into energy (type 2, also called non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset).

Who has diabetes?

Federal statistics estimate that 18.2 million children and adults in the United States ? 6.3 percent of the population ? have diabetes. While an estimated 13 million of these have been diagnosed with diabetes, 5.2 million are estimated to have type 2 diabetes and not know it. Most people with diabetes have type 2; an estimated 800,000 have type 1. About 1 million people age 20 or older will be diagnosed with diabetes this year. Diabetes is more prevalent among Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders. An estimated 20 million people in the U.S have pre-diabetes, a condition that occurs when one has higher than normal blood glucose levels, but not high enough to be diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes. (Research shows that if action is taken to control glucose levels, those with pre-diabetes can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes.)

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

Excessive thirst
Frequent urination
Weight loss
Blurred vision
Increased hunger
Frequent skin, bladder or gum infections
Irritability
Tingling or numbness in hands or feet
Slow to heal wounds
Extreme unexplained fatigue
Sometimes there are no symptoms (type 2 diabetes)Who is at greatest risk for developing diabetes?

People who:

are 45 or over
are overweight
are habitually physically inactive
have previously been identified as having IFG (impaired fasting glucose) or IGT (impaired glucose tolerance)
have a family history of diabetes
have members of certain ethnic groups (including Asian American, African-American, Hispanic American, and Native American)
have had gestational diabetes or have given birth to a child weighing more than 9 pounds
have elevated blood pressure
have an HDL cholesterol level (the ?good? cholesterol) of 35 mg/dl or lower and/or a triglyceride level of 250 mg/dl or higher
have polycystic ovary syndrome
have a history of vascular disease

What are the long-term complications of diabetes?

People with diabetes are two to four more times more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke than those who don't have diabetes
Diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness among adults between 20 and 74 years old.
Diabetes is the leading cause of treated end-stage kidney disease in the U.S.
More than 60 percent of the limb amputations in the U.S. occur among people with diabetes
About 60-70 percent of the people with diabetes have mild to severe nerve damage

History of Diabetes

2008-08-26T02:49:00.000-07:00

1552 B.C.	Earliest known record of diabetes mentioned on 3rd Dynasty Egyptian papyrus by physician Hesy-Ra; mentions polyuria (frequent urination) as a symptom.
1st Century A.D.	Diabetes described by Arateus as 'the melting down of flesh and limbs into urine.'
c. 164 A.D.	Greek physician Galen of Pergamum mistakenly diagnoses diabetes as an ailment of the kidneys.
Up to 11th Century	Diabetes commonly diagnosed by 'water tasters,' who drank the urine of those suspected of having diabetes; the urine of people with diabetes was thought to be sweet-tasting. The Latin word for honey (referring to its sweetness), 'mellitus', is added to the term diabetes as a result.
16th Century	Paracelsus identifies diabetes as a serious general disorder.
Early 19th Century	First chemical tests developed to indicate and measure the presence of sugar in the urine.
late 1850s	French physician, Priorry, advises diabetes patients to eat extra large quantities of sugar as a treatment.
1870s	French physician, Bouchardat, notices the disappearance of glycosuria in his diabetes patients during the rationing of food in Paris while under siege by Germany during the Franco-Prussian War; formulates idea of individualized diets for his diabetes patients.
19th Century	French researcher, Claude Bernard, studies the workings of the pancreas and the glycogen metabolism of the liver. Czech researcher, I.V. Pavlov, discovers the links between the nervous system and gastric secretion, making an important contribution to science's knowledge of the physiology of the digestive system.
Late 19th Century	Italian diabetes specialist, Catoni, isolates his patients under lock and key in order to get them to follow their diets.
1869	Paul Langerhans, a German medical student, announces in a dissertation that the pancreas contains contains two systems of cells. One set secretes the normal pancreatic juice, the function of the other was unknown. Several years later, these cells are identified as the 'islets of Langerhans.'
1889	Oskar Minkowski and Joseph von Mering at the University of Strasbourg, France, first remove the pancreas from a dog to determine the effect of an absent pancreas on digestion.
1900-1915	'Fad' diabetes diets include: the 'oat-cure' (in which the majority of diet was made up of oatmeal), the milk diet, the rice cure, 'potato therapy' and even the use of opium!
1908	German scientist, Georg Zuelzer develops the first injectible pancreatic extract to suppress glycosuria; however, there are extreme side effects to the treatment.
1910-1920	Frederick Madison Allen and Elliot P. Joslin emerge as the two leading diabetes specialists in the United States. Joslin believes diabetes to be 'the best of the chronic diseases' because it was 'clean, seldom unsightly, not contagious, often painless and susceptible to treatment.'
c. 1913	Allen, after three years of diabetes study, publishes Studies Concerning Glycosuria and Diabetes, a book which is significant for the revolution in diabetes therapy that developed from it.
1919	Frederick Allen publishes Total Dietary Regulation in the Treatment of Diabetes, citing exhaustive case records of 76 of the 100 diabetes patients he observed, becomes the director of diabetes research at the Rockefeller Institute.
1919-20	Allen establishes the first treatment clinic in the USA, the Physiatric Institute in New Jersey, to treat patients with diabetes, high blood pressure and Bright's disease; wealthy and desperate patients flock to it.
October 31, 1920	Dr. Banting conceives of the idea of insulin after reading Moses Barron's 'The Relation of the Islets of Langerhans to Diabetes with Special Reference to Cases of Pancreatic Lithiasis' in the November issue of Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics. For the next year, with the assistance of Best, Collip and Macleod, Dr. Banting continues his research using a variety of different extracts on de-pancreatized dogs.
Summer 1921	Insulin is 'discovered'. A de-pancreatized dog is successfully treated with insulin.
December 30, 1921	Dr. Banting presents a paper entitled 'The Beneficial Influences of Certain Pancreatic Extracts on Pancreatic Diabetes', summarizing his work to this point at a session of the American Physiological Society at Yale University. Among the attendees are Allen and Joslin. Little praise or congratulation is received.
1940s	Link is made between diabetes and long-term complications (kidney and eye disease).
1944	Standard insulin syringe is developed, helping to make diabetes management more uniform.
1955	Oral drugs are introduced to help lower blood glucose levels.
1959	Two major types of diabetes are recognized: type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes and type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes.
1960s	The purity of insulin is improved. Home testing for sugar levels in urine increases level of control for people with diabetes.
1970	Blood glucose meters and insulin pumps are developed. Laser therapy is used to help slow or prevent blindness in some people with diabetes.
1983	First biosynthetic human insulin is introduced.
1986	Insulin pen delivery system is introduced.
1993	Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) report is published. The DCCT results clearly demonstrate that intensive therapy (more frequent doses and self-adjustment according to individual activity and eating patterns) delays the onset and progression of long-term complications in individuals with type 1 diabetes.
1998	The United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) is published. UKPDS results clearly identify the importance of good glucose control and good blood pressure control in the delay and/or prevention of complications in type 2 diabetes.

AADE Survey: Taking Insulin Is a Hardship on Many—and They’re Reluctant to Talk About It With Caregivers

2008-08-18T23:01:00.000-07:00

Results from a Harris survey commissioned by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) show that people with diabetes who must take insulin often struggle with dread and negative impacts on their lives because of it. But more than half of them—52 percent—are reluctant to share their concerns with their healthcare providers.

The “Injection Impact Report” survey, which was conducted online between June 12 and July 7, surveyed 502 people with diabetes who inject insulin using either a syringe or a pen. The survey also queried healthcare professionals who treat people with diabetes who inject insulin, including 101 primary care physicians (PCPs), 100 endocrinologists, and 100 diabetes educators.

Among the findings:

33 percent of respondents have experienced some level of dread related to insulin injections (eight percent strongly agreed/and 25 percent somewhat agreed)
14 percent of those surveyed feel that insulin injections have a negative impact on their life (three percent experience a major negative impact and 11 percent experience a moderate negative impact)
More than 29 percent of the people surveyed feel that injecting insulin is the hardest aspect of their diabetes care (eight percent strongly agreed and 21 percent somewhat agreed).
52 percent do not proactively discuss their concerns regarding the physical and emotional aspects of injecting with their healthcare provider.

Diabetic Diet Plan

2008-08-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

The optimal way to plan a diabetic diet meal is to first assess the nutritional needs of a person with diabetes and the amounts of fat, protein, carbohydrate, and then calculating the corresponding total calories needed per day. >This information is converted into recommendations for amounts and types of foods to be included in the daily diet. Every person having diabetes must consult a Registered Dietitian to prepare for his diabetic diet plan. However, the total number of meals and snacks and their timing throughout the day can differ for each person, depending on his or her nutritional needs, lifestyle, and the action and timing of medications. But then the rest of it is pretty much up to you. You get your meal plan 'budget', and then you decide how to spend it at each meal. Just as a non-diabetic can't eat cookies and cakes all day long and expect to be healthy, if you have diabetes you have to eat a balanced diet to remain healthy. But within limits, and with proper education, if you have diabetes you can eat whatever anybody else does.

In general, a nutrition plan for a person with diabetes includes

10 to 20 percent of calories from protein
no more than 30 percent of calories from fats (with no more than 10 percent from saturated fats)
and the remaining 50 to 60 percent from carbohydrates.

Given below are the ideal nutrition portions for your diet, according to size categories.

Diabetic Diet Plan (1200-1600 Calories)This diabetic diet plan is perfect for if you are a small woman who exercises, a small or medium woman who wants to lose weight or even a medium woman who does not exercise much. Choose this many servings from these food groups to have 1,200 to 1,600 calories a day:

· 6 starches

· 2 milk and yogurt

· 3 vegetables

· 2 meat or meat substitute

· 2 fruit

· Up to 3 fats

Diabetic Diet

2008-08-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

If you have diabetes, your body cannot make or properly use insulin. This leads to high blood glucose, or sugar, levels in your blood. Healthy eating helps to reduce your blood sugar. It is a critical part of managing your diabetes, because controlling your blood sugar can prevent the complications of diabetes.

Wise food choices are a foundation of diabetes treatment. Diabetes experts suggest meal plans that are flexible and take your lifestyle and other health needs into account. A registered dietitian can help you design a meal plan.

Healthy diabetic eating includes

Limiting sweets
Eating often
Being careful about when and how many carbohydrates you eat
Eating lots of whole-grain foods, fruits and vegetables
Eating less fat
Limiting your use of alcohol

Start Here

Diabetes - Meal Planning(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player
Also available in Spanish
Recipe and Meal Planner Guide: Eating Healthy and Staying Fit to Control and Manage Diabetes(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Also available in Spanish
What I Need to Know about Eating and Diabetes(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Also available in Spanish

Diabetic Wound Care

2008-08-18T19:30:00.000-07:00

What is a Diabetic Foot Ulcer?A diabetic foot ulcer is an open sore or wound that most commonly occurs on the bottom of the foot in approximately 15 percent of patients with diabetes. Of those who develop a foot ulcer, six percent will be hospitalized due to infection or other ulcer-related complication.

Diabetes is the leading cause of nontraumatic lower extremity amputations in the United States, and approximately 14 to 24 percent of patients with diabetes who develop a foot ulcer have an amputation. Research, however, has shown that the development of a foot ulcer is preventable.

Who Can Get a Diabetic Foot Ulcer?
Anyone who has diabetes can develop a foot ulcer. Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanics and older men are more likely to develop ulcers. People who use insulin are at a higher risk of developing a foot ulcer, as are patients with diabetes-related kidney, eye, and heart disease. Being overweight and using alcohol and tobacco also play a role in the development of foot ulcers.

How do Diabetic Foot Ulcers Form?
Ulcers form due to a combination of factors, such as lack of feeling in the foot, poor circulation, foot deformities, irritation (such as friction or pressure), and trauma, as well as duration of diabetes. Patients who have diabetes for many years can develop neuropathy, a reduced or complete lack of feeling in the feet due to nerve damage caused by elevated blood glucose levels over time. The nerve damage often can occur without pain and one may not even be aware of the problem. Your podiatric physician can test feet for neuropathy with a simple and painless tool called a monofilament.

Vascular disease can complicate a foot ulcer, reducing the body’s ability to heal and increasing the risk for an infection. Elevations in blood glucose can reduce the body’s ability to fight off a potential infection and also retard healing.

See more.

What is Type 1 Diabetes?

2008-08-18T19:18:00.001-07:00

There is more than one form of type 1 diabetes and each can develop for different reasons. Type 1 diabetes can result from hereditary deficiencies in the beta-cells of the pancreas (maturity onset diabetes of the young, or MODY), damage to the pancreas from trauma or drugs, another illness like hemochromatosis (iron overload) or cystic fibrosis that damages the pancreas, or will result when the pancreas is surgically removed.

The most commonly diagnosed form of type 1 diabetes is juvenile diabetes, or, insulin-dependent diabetes. People with juvenile type 1 diabetes have an inherited genetic predisposition towards developing diabetes (the genes are different for type 1 and type 2 but both have a genetic aspect involved). Many people have these genes but will never develop the disease. For those that do become diabetic, something triggers the body to attack and destroy the insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas.

Triggers for type 1 diabetes are thought in include certain viruses (including rotaviruses), chemical, or some other environmental factor. Visit our general diabetes information page for causes of diabetes, genetic transmission rates of diabetes for type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and other diseases and disorders that are associated with diabetes.

Other diseases that affect persons with diabetes at a higher rate than in the general population include Addison's Disease, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. celiac disease (sprue, or gluten intolerance), and polycystic ovarian syndrome. Anyone diagnosed with type 1 diabetes should also be tested for these.
Juvenile type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease is when the body attacks and destroys good cells and tissues mistaking them as foreign intruders. With type 1 diabetes the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas are slowly destroyed and eventually they fail to produce insulin. When this happens a person will need to take insulin to live.
See more.

Pre-Diabetes

2008-08-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they almost always have "pre-diabetes" -- blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. There are 57 million people in the United States who have pre-diabetes. Recent research has shown that some long-term damage to the body, especially the heart and circulatory system, may already be occurring during pre-diabetes.

Research has also shown that if you take action to manage your blood glucose when you have pre-diabetes, you can delay or prevent type 2 diabetes from ever developing. Together with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the American Diabetes Association published a Position Statement on "The Prevention or Delay of Type 2 Diabetes" to help guide health care professionals in treating their patients with pre-diabetes.

There is a lot you can do yourself to know your risks for pre-diabetes and to take action to prevent diabetes if you have, or are at risk for, pre-diabetes. The American Diabetes Association has a wealth of resources for people with diabetes. People with pre-diabetes can expect to benefit from much of the same advice for good nutrition and physical activity. The links on this page are cornerstones of successful management of pre-diabetes.

Women and Diabetes

2008-08-18T19:10:00.000-07:00

Today, almost 21 million children and adults in the US have diabetes -- including 9.7 million women -- and almost one third of them do not know it. Diabetes can be especially hard on women. The burden of diabetes on women is unique, because the disease can affect both mothers and their unborn children. Diabetes can cause difficulties during pregnancy such as a miscarriage or a baby born with birth defects. Women with diabetes are also more likely to have a heart attack, and at a younger age, than women without diabetes.

Diabetes is the fifth-deadliest disease in the United States, and it has no cure. For women who do not currently have diabetes, pregnancy brings the risk of gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes develops in 2% to 5% of all pregnancies but disappears when a pregnancy is over. Women who have had gestational diabetes or have given birth to a baby weighting more than 9 pounds are at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

The prevalence of diabetes is at least 2-4 times higher among African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, and Asian/Pacific Islander women than among white women. The risk for diabetes also increases with age. Because of the increasing lifespan of women and the rapid growth of minority populations, the number of women in the United States at high risk for diabetes and its complications is increasing.

All About Diabetes

2008-08-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles.

There are 23.6 million children and adults in the United States, or 7.8% of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 17.9 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, unfortunately, 5.7 million people (or nearly one quarter) are unaware that they have the disease.

In order to determine whether or not a patient has pre-diabetes or diabetes, health care providers conduct a Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (FPG) or an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). Either test can be used to diagnose pre-diabetes or diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recommends the FPG because it is easier, faster, and less expensive to perform.

With the FPG test, a fasting blood glucose level between 100 and 125 mg/dl signals pre-diabetes. A person with a fasting blood glucose level of 126 mg/dl or higher has diabetes.

In the OGTT test, a person's blood glucose level is measured after a fast and two hours after drinking a glucose-rich beverage. If the two-hour blood glucose level is between 140 and 199 mg/dl, the person tested has pre-diabetes. If the two-hour blood glucose level is at 200 mg/dl or higher, the person tested has diabetes.
See more.