Diabetes – Fast International

Overview

Diabetes is a life-long disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood. It can be caused by too little insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas to regulate blood sugar), resistance to insulin, or both.

Type 1 diabetes

Used to be called “juvenile diabetes,” because it’s usually diagnosed in children and teens. But don’t let that old-school name fool you. It can start when you’re a grownup, too. Many of the symptoms are similar to type 2 diabetes, so it’s sometimes tricky to know which kind you’ve got. But it’s important to learn the differences and figure out what’s going on so you can get the treatment that’sright for you.

Causes

Doctors aren’t sure exactly what causes type 1 diabetes. They believe your genes may play a role. Researchers are also checking to see if there are things that trigger the disease, like your diet or a virus that you caught.
What experts do know is that when you have type 1 diabetes, something goes wrong with your immune system — the body’s defense against germs. It destroys beta cells in your pancreas that are responsible for making a hormone called insulin.
Insulin allows glucose — or sugar — to get into your cells, where it’s turned into energy. But if you have type 1 diabetes, your body doesn’t make insulin. Glucose builds up in your bloodstream and, over time, can cause serious health problems.

Symptoms

If you have type 1 diabetes, you may get similar symptoms as your friends who have type 2. You may notice that you:

Get extremely thirsty or hungry
Need to pee often
Feel unusually tired or weak
Lose weight suddenly
Get blurred vision or other changes in the way you see
Get vaginal yeast infections
Have breath that smells fruity
Can’t breathe well

Sometimes, type 1 diabetes could even make you lose consciousness. Who’s Most Likely to Get It as an Adult?
People of all races and ethnic groups can get type 1 diabetes, but it’s most common among those of northern European descent. You may also be at higher risk for getting the disease if one of your parents or a brother or sister has it.

Diagnosis

It’s not always easy to tell if you have type 1 diabetes when you’re an adult. There are a number of reasons for this.
For one thing, symptoms take longer to show up in grownups than they do in kids. This can make it harder for doctors to know what’s going on, especially if they don’t specialize in the condition. Another confusing part of getting a diagnosis is that many people with type 1 diabetes are lean or have a normal weight. Your doctor might rule out diabetes, since most people with type 2 diabetes are overweight. Your doctor may suggest several tests that can tell you if you have diabetes, although you won’t know if it’s type 1 or type 2.Glycated hemoglobin (A1c) test. It measures your average blood glucose level for 2 to 3 months. If you have an A1c level of 6.5 or higher on two separate exams, you have diabetes. Random blood sugar test. It checks your blood glucose at a random time of day. A level of 200 mg/dL or higher is a sign that you have diabetes. Fasting blood sugar test. Your doctor does this first thing in the morning, before you’ve eaten. You have diabetes if your level is 126 mg/dL or higher on two separate tests. Besides those exams, your doctor may also test your blood for certain antibodies that are common in type 1 diabetes. And they might check your pee for ketones, or fat by-products. If these are in your sample, you probably have type 1 diabetes.

Treatment

Because your body no longer makes insulin, your treatment plan will include giving yourself insulin shots every day. You’ll also need to monitor your blood glucose levels. Your doctor will probably encourage you to get regular exercise. It can help you stay at a healthy weight and keep your blood glucose levels within a normal range. They’ll also work with you to come up with healthy, nutritious menu options that will help you keep your blood glucose under control.

Type 2 diabetes

What Is Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong disease that keeps your body from using insulin the way it should. People with type 2 diabetes are said to have insulin resistance.
People who are middle-aged or older are most likely to get this kind of diabetes. It used to be called adult-onset diabetes. But type 2 diabetes also affects kids and teens, mainly because of childhood obesity.
Type 2 is the most common type of diabetes. There are about 29 million people in the U.S. with type 2. Another 84 million have prediabetes, meaning their blood sugar (or blood glucose) is high but not high enough to be diabetes yet.
Signs and Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes
The symptoms of type 2 diabetes can be so mild that you don’t notice them. About 8 million people who have it don’t know it.

Symptoms include:

Being very thirsty
Peeing a lot
Blurry vision
Being cranky
Tingling or numbness in your hands or feet
Fatigue/feeling worn out
Wounds that don’t heal
Yeast infections that keep coming back
Feeling hungry
Weight loss without trying
Getting more infections

If you have dark rashes around your neck or armpits, see your doctor. These are called acanthosis nigricans, and they can be signs that your body is becoming resistant to insulin.

Causes of Type 2 Diabetes

Your pancreas makes a hormone called insulin. It helps your cells turn glucose, a type of sugar, from the food you eat into energy. People with type 2 diabetes make insulin, but their cells don’t use it as well as they should.
At first, your pancreas makes more insulin to try to get glucose into your cells. But eventually, it can’t keep up, and the glucose builds up in your blood instead.

Usually, a combination of things causes type 2 diabetes. They might include:

Genes Scientists have found different bits of DNA that affect how your body makes insulin.
Extra weight Being overweight or obese can cause insulin resistance, especially if you carry your extra pounds around your middle.
Metabolic syndrome. People with insulin resistance often have a group of conditions including high blood sugar, extra fat around the waist, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol and triglycerides.
Too much glucose from your liver When your blood sugar is low, your liver makes and sends out glucose. After you eat, your blood sugar goes up, and your liver will usually slow down and store its glucose for later. But some people’s livers don’t They keep cranking out sugar.
Bad communication between cells Sometimes, cells send the wrong signals or don’t pick up messages correctly. When these problems affect how your cells make and use insulin or glucose, a chain reaction can lead to diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes Risk Factors

Certain things make it more likely that you’ll get type 2 diabetes. The more of these that apply to you, the higher your chances of getting it are. Some things are related to who you are:

Age. 45 or older
Family. A parent, sister, or brother with diabetes
Ethnicity. African American, Alaska Native, Native American, Asian American, Hispanic or Latino, or Pacific Islander American

Risk factors related to your health and medical history include:

Prediabetes
Heart and blood vessel disease
High blood pressure, even if it’s treated and under control
Low HDL (“good”) cholesterol
High triglycerides
Being overweight or obese
Having a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds
Gestational diabetes while you were pregnant
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Depression

Other things that raise your risk of diabetes have to do with your daily habits and lifestyle. These are the ones you can do something about:

Getting little or no exercise
Smoking
Stress
Sleeping too little or too much

Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis and Tests

Your doctor can test your blood for signs of type 2 diabetes. Usually, they’ll test you on 2 days to confirm the diagnosis. But if your blood glucose is very high or you have many symptoms, one test may be all you need.

A1c It’s like an average of your blood glucose over the past 2 or 3 months.
Fasting plasma glucose. This is also known as a fasting blood sugar test. It measures your blood sugar on an empty stomach. You won’t be able to eat or drink anything except water for 8 hours before the test.
Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) This checks your blood glucose before and 2 hours after you drink something sweet to see how your body handles the sugar.

Type 2 Diabetes Treatment

Managing type 2 diabetes includes a mix of lifestyle changes and medication. Lifestyle changes You may be able to reach your target blood sugar levels with diet and exercise alone.

Weight loss Dropping extra pounds can help. While losing 5% of your body weight is good, losing at least 7% and keeping it off seems to be ideal. That means someone who weighs 180 pounds can change their blood sugar levels by losing around 13 pounds. Weight loss can seem overwhelming, but portion control and eating healthy foods are a good place to start.
Healthy eating There’s no specific diet for type 2 diabetes. A registered dietitian can teach you about carbs and help you make a meal plan you can

Stick with Focus on:

Eating fewer calories
Cutting back on refined carbs, especially sweets
Adding veggies and fruits to your diet
Getting more fiber
Exercise Try to get 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity every day. You can walk, bike, swim, or do anything else that gets your heart rate up. Pair that with strength training, like yoga or weightlifting. If you take a medication that lowers your blood sugar, you might need a snack before a workout.
Watch your blood sugar levels Depending on your treatment, especially if you’re on insulin, your doctor will tell you if you need to test your blood sugar levels and how often to do it.

Medication

If lifestyle changes don’t get you to your target blood sugar levels, you may need medication. Some of the most common for type 2 diabetes include:

Metformin (Fortamet, Glucophage, Glumetza, Riomet). This is usually the first medication used to treat type 2 diabetes. It lowers the amount of glucose your liver makes and helps your body respond better to the insulin it does make.
Sulfonylureas This group of drugs helps your body make more insulin. They include glimepiride (Amaryl), glipizide (Glucotrol, Metaglip), and glyburide (DiaBeta, Micronase).
Meglitinides They help your body make more insulin, and they work faster than sulfonylureas. You might take nateglinide (Starlix) or repaglinide (Prandin).
Thiazolidinediones Like metformin, they make you more sensitive to insulin. You could get pioglitazone (Actos) or rosiglitazone (Avandia). But they also raise your risk of heart problems, so they aren’t usually a first choice for treatment.
DPP-4 inhibitors These medications — linagliptin (Tradjenta), saxagliptin (Onglyza), and sitagliptin (Januvia) — help lower your blood sugar levels, but they can also cause joint pain and could inflame your pancreas.
GLP-1 receptor agonists You take these medications with a needle to slow digestion and lower blood sugar levels. Some of the most common ones are exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon), liraglutide (Victoza), and semaglutide (Ozempic).
SGLT2 inhibitors These help your kidneys filter out more glucose. You might get canagliflozin (Invokana), dapagliflozin (Farxiga), or empagliflozin (Jardiance). Empagliflozin has also proven effectibve in reducing the risk of hospitalization or death from heart failure.
GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) is the first in its class and activates both the GLP-1 and GIP receptors, which leads to improved blood sugar control.
InsulinYou might take long-lasting shots at night, such as insulin detemir (Levemir) or insulin glargine (Lantus).

Type 2 Diabetes Prevention

Adopting a healthy lifestyle can help you lower your risk of diabetes.

Lose weight Dropping just 7% to 10% of your weight can cut your risk of type 2 diabetes in half.
Get active Thirty minutes of brisk walking a day will cut your risk by almost a third.
Eat right Avoid highly processed carbs, sugary drinks, and trans and saturated fats. Limit red and processed meats.
Quit smoking Work with your doctor to keep from gaining weight after you quit, so you don’t create one problem by solving another.

Type 2 Diabetes Complications

Over time, high blood sugar can damage and cause problems with your:

Heart and blood vessels You’re up to five times more likely to get heart disease or have a stroke. You’re also at high risk of blocked blood vessels (atherosclerosis) and chest pain (angina).
Kidneys If your kidneys are damaged or you have kidney failure, you could need dialysis or a kidney replacement.
Eyes High blood sugar can damage the tiny blood vessels in the backs of your eyes (retinopathy). If this isn’t treated, it can cause blindness.
Nerves This can lead to trouble with digestion, the feeling in your feet, and your sexual response.
Skin Your blood doesn’t circulate as well, so wounds heal slower and can become infected.
Pregnancy Women with diabetes are more likely to have a miscarriage, a stillbirth, or a baby with a birth defect.
Sleep You might develop sleep apnea, a condition in which your breathing stops and starts while you sleep.
Hearing You’re more likely to have hearing problems, but it’s not clear why.
Brain High blood sugar can damage your brain and might put you at higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Depression People with the disease are twice as likely to get depressed as people who don’t have it.

The best way to avoid these complications is to manage your type 2 diabetes well.

Take your diabetes medications or insulin on time.
Check your blood sugar.
Eat right, and don’t skip meals.
See your doctor regularly to check for early signs of trouble.
Prediabetes
Heart and blood vessel disease
High blood pressure, even if it’s treated and under control
Low HDL (“good”) cholesterol
High triglycerides
Being overweight or obese
Having a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds
Gestational diabetes while you were pregnant
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Depression