what is Diabetes?1

 Diabetes is a condition marked by elevated blood glucose (sugar) levels. It is brought on by glucose's inability to enter your cells. Your cells are therefore starved for sustenance (glucose). It would be comparable to a person who is famished and is surrounded by tables of delicious food, but who is unable to eat because their mouth is closed.

One-third of the 17 million Americans who are estimated to have diabetes are unaware of their condition. Heart disease, blindness, renal failure, and lower-extremity amputations are just a few of the significant health issues that diabetes may bring on. In the US, diabetes is the sixth most common cause of mortality. The majority of diabetics also acquire heart problems.

In actuality, those with diabetes are just as susceptible to suffering a heart attack as those who have already experienced one. Therefore, it is crucial for individuals with diabetes to also have a doctor who carefully examines and controls their blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Additionally, using tobacco products increases dangers and should be avoided at all costs.

Do multiple types of diabetes exist?

Certainly. However, the disease's fundamental traits remain the same. Any kind of diabetes has an underlying cause that prevents the body from using glucose (sugar) for energy, which results in blood sugar levels that are elevated above normal. You should be aware of the following three aspects of diabetes. First, the body's cells that use glucose are crucial because they need to be able to draw sugar from the blood and use it as fuel inside the cell.

Second, the insulin produced by your pancreas, which is located close to your stomach, is crucial for allowing the sugar to enter the cell and serves as the "key" to open the door. Third, glucose is produced when your food is broken down or when muscle and liver produce glycogen, a form of stored glucose. Now, it will be simpler to comprehend the condition of diabetes if you picture a locking gas cap on your car.

You can comprehend how diabetes functions if you know how a locking gas cap operates. Your body's cells are all equipped with locking gas caps. The fuel for the automobile would be glucose, and insulin would be the key to the locking gas cap. One type of diabetes causes the body to completely stop producing insulin, which prevents glucose (fuel) from entering your cells. In other types of diabetes, your body produces some insulin, but not nearly enough to meet your demands. To insert the glucose (fuel) within the cells, only a small number of them may be unlocked and opened. Another thing that occurs is that some of the cells lock rust and stop functioning properly

 Therefore, even with insulin (keys), you are unable to unlock the cells. Insulin resistance is what causes this. You can't get glucose (fuel) inside a cell to provide energy if the cells won't open. Your blood glucose levels will increase as a result of all of this.

Types Of Diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes: Only 5-10% of people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes, which is typically diagnosed in children and young adults. The pancreas does not produce any insulin (keys) at all in type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes: The disease's most prevalent form is type 2 diabetes. It is responsible for 90–95 percent of all diabetes cases. In type 2 diabetes, the cells in your body can't use glucose as they should because either your body doesn't produce enough insulin (the keys) or the cells disregard the insulin (the lock is rusted and broken). Insulin resistance is the term used to describe when your cells reject the insulin, as was previously mentioned.

Gestational diabetes is another form of diabetes that exclusively affects pregnant women and only makes up a small portion of all instances of diabetes. If left untreated, it can harm both moms and infants and often goes away after delivery. 1% to 2% of all cases of diabetes may be due to other types of disease brought on by particular genetic syndromes, surgery, medications, malnutrition, infections, and other illnesses.

How do you get diabetes?

Your risk of diabetes is increased by certain risk factors. Older age, obesity, a family history of the disease, a history of gestational diabetes, poor glucose tolerance, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity are all risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Compared to type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetes risk factors are less well understood, but autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors play a role in its development.

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

Anyone who suspects they may have diabetes needs to see a doctor for a diagnosis. Frequent urination, excessive thirst, unexplained weight loss, extreme hunger, sudden vision changes, tingling or numbness in the hands or feet, extreme exhaustion most of the time, extremely dry skin, sores that take a long time to heal, and more infections than usual are some symptoms that they may experience. When type 1 diabetes develops suddenly, several of these symptoms may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or stomach discomfort.

Sugar is glucose! I just need to stay away from sweets, right?

It's not that easy. In actuality, the majority of food and all of the carbs you consume are reduced to glucose, which is their most basic form. The moment food enters your stomach, the acid begins to break it down. For their amino acids, proteins are disassembled, whereas, for their glucose, carbohydrates are. After your digestive system transforms your food into something your body can use, the blood picks it up and transports it to your cells so they can use it as fuel. In healthy individuals, the blood absorbs the glucose from the GI tract and signals your pancreas, an organ located close to your stomach, to produce and release insulin.

Remember that Type 2 diabetes is caused by either your body not producing enough insulin or parts of your cells not responding to the insulin that is produced. Your cells starve and are deprived of the glucose they require for energy in both scenarios (the locks are rusted and inoperable). Meanwhile, the excess glucose is merely floating about in your blood and cannot be utilized. The worst part is that all of that extra glucose floating around in your blood is harming your organs and blood vessels, which raises your risk of developing heart disease. Because of this, it's crucial to maintain blood glucose levels that are as close to normal as possible.

When blood sugar levels are extremely high, glucose begins to escape into the urine.

Wait for the second part, in which we will talk about treatment methods, types of necessary medicines, and maintaining blood sugar at healthy and safe levels.