Information about diabetes.
Although diabetes has been recognized since antiquity and remedies have been  tried since the middle Ages, the pathogenesis of the disease was studied and understood mainly in the 20th century.
Diabetes is considered the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. There are nearly twenty one million people in the United States or 7% of the population who suffer from diabetes. However, it is believed that only fifteen million have been diagnosed, whereas the rest of the patients do not know they have developed the condition.
Worldwide, 246 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes. The figure is expected to rise to 380 million by 2025 and to exceed the 700 million patients by 2050, if the epidemic spreads at the same rate. According to data given by the World Health Organization (WHO), every year, seven million people are diagnosed with diabetes all around the world and every ten minutes a death occurs due to the disease.
Diabetes mellitus or just diabetes, as it is broadly known, is a life-long disease that makes human body unable to produce or use insulin or both. This affects the blood sugar which gets above the normal levels.
Patients suffering from diabetes present a metabolic malfunction which involves total or partly difficulty to obtain energy from foods. During digestion, food gives a wide range of ingredients. Sugar is included among the most important ones and it is distributed by the blood stream into tissues and organs.
Most of the carbohydrates in food are rapidly converted to glucose, the principal sugar in blood.
Cells normally utilize insulin, manufactured in the beta cells of the pancreas gland, in order to produce energy from glucose. Since insulin controls the transfer of glucose from the blood into cells, deficiency or normal levels of the hormone in the blood stream is a fundamental factor in all forms of diabetes. When the produced sugar cannot be used, its amount increases steeply in the blood stream. This situation is called hyperglycemia and, in a long term, affects badly a lot of vital organs and systems. In hyperglycemia, the level of glucose in the blood increases, while the cells are dramatically deprived from this carbohydrate.
The early signs of diabetes include frequent urination,
unusual thirst, hunger, weakness, unintentional weight loss and blurry vision. In numerous cases, there are no signs whatsoever. Over time, high blood glucose levels result in progressive damage of nerves and blood vessels, leading, in turn, to diabetes complications such as cardiovascular conditions, sight problems, nephropathy, neuropathies, gingivitis, sexual disorders, gangrene and potential limb amputation.
Factors that worsen the harmful effects of diabetes are smoking, prolonged high cholesterol levels, hypertension, increased body weight and sedentary lifestyle.
The American Diabetes Association recommends that all adults to be monitored for diabetes at least every three years. A person at high risk should be screened more often.
There is no cure for diabetes. The immediate goals are to control blood glucose and eliminate the consequences of high blood sugar. The long-term goals of treatment are to prolong life, relieve symptoms and prevent complications, especially heart disease and kidney failure. In general, understanding and participating in the treatment plan on behalf of the patient is vital as blood glucose levels change continuously. Another crucial issue is that diabetes medication and any herbal remedy must be taken faithfully and according a physician's advice.
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