Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus is a medical disorder
characterized by varying or persistent
hyperglycemia (elevated blood sugar levels),
especially after eating. All types of
diabetes mellitus share similar symptoms and
complications at advanced stages.
Hyperglycemia itself can lead to dehydration
and ketoacidosis.
Longer-term complications
include
cardiovascular disease (doubled
risk), chronic renal failure (it is the main
cause for dialysis), retinal damage with
eventual blindness, nerve damage and
eventual gangrene with risk of amputation of
toes, feet, and even legs.
The most important forms of
diabetes are due to
decreased production of insulin (diabetes mellitus type 1, the first recognized form), or
decreased
sensitivity of body tissues to insulin (diabetes
mellitus type 2, the more common form).
Diabetes mellitus type 1
requires insulin injections, while
Diabetes mellitus type 2 is
generally managed with
oral medication
and only
requires insulin if the tablets are ineffective.
Diabetes patient understanding and participation is vital
as blood glucose levels change continuously, while
successfully
keeping blood sugar within normal
limits
has been compellingly shown to reduce or
prevent development of some of the complications of
diabetes. Other risk factors that can require
addressing to reduce complications are: cessation of
smoking, optimizing cholesterol levels,
maintaining
a stable body weight, controlling
high blood
pressure
and engaging in regular exercise.
Diabetes Statistics
In 2004, according to the World Health
Organization, more than 150 million people worldwide
suffer from diabetes. Its incidence is increasing
rapidly, and it is estimated that by the year 2025
this number will double. Diabetes mellitus occurs
throughout the world, but is more common (especially
type 2 diabetes ) in the more developed countries. The
greatest increase in prevalence rate is, however,
expected to occur in Asia and Africa, where most of
the diabetic patients will be seen by 2025. The
increase in incidence of diabetes in the developing
countries follows the trend of urbanisation and life
style changes.
Diabetes is in the top 10, and
perhaps the top 5, of the most significant diseases
in the developed world, and is gaining in
significance.
For at least 20 years,
diabetes rates in North
America have been increasing substantially. In 2002
there were about 18.2 million diabetics in the
United States alone. The Centers for Disease Control
has termed the change an epidemic. The National
Diabetes Information Clearinghouse estimates that
diabetes costs $132 billion in the United States
alone every year.
Causes and Types of Diabetes
Mechanism of insulin release in normal pancreatic
beta cells (ie, glucose dependence). Insulin
production doesn't depend on
blood glucose levels;
insulin is stored pending release
Since insulin is the principal hormone that
regulates uptake of glucose into cells (primarily
muscle and fat cells) from the blood,
deficiency of
insulin or its action plays a central role in all
forms of diabetes.
Most of the carbohydrates in food are rapidly
digested to glucose, the principal sugar in blood.
Insulin is produced by beta cells in the pancreas in
response to rising levels of glucose in the blood,
as occurs after a meal.
Insulin makes it possible
for most body tissues to remove glucose from the
blood for use as fuel, for conversion to other
needed molecules, or for storage. Insulin is also
the principal control signal for conversion of
glucose (the basic sugar unit) to glycogen for
storage in liver and muscle cells.
Lowered insulin
levels result in the reverse conversion of glycogen
to glucose when glucose levels fall -- though only
in the liver not muscle tissue.
Higher insulin level
increase many anabolic ("building up") processes
such as cell growth, cellular protein synthesis, and
fat storage. Insulin is the principal signal in
converting many of the bidirectional processes of
metabolism from a catabolic to an anabolic
direction.
If the amount of insulin produced is
insufficient, if cells respond poorly to the effects
of insulin (insulin insensitivity or resistance), or
if the insulin itself is defective,
glucose is not
handled properly by body cells (about 2/3 require
it) nor stored appropriately in the liver and
muscles. The net effect is persistent
high levels of
blood glucose, poor protein synthesis, and other
metabolic derangements.
Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
Type 1 diabetes is most commonly diagnosed
diabetes in
children and adolescents, but can occur in adults as
well. It is
an autoimmune disorder, in which the
body's own
immune system attacks the beta cells in
the Islets of Langerhans of the pancreas, destroying
them or damaging them sufficiently to
reduce insulin
production. The
autoimmune attack may be triggered
by reaction to an infection, for example by one of
the viruses of the Coxsackie virus family. A subtype
of type 1 diabetes (identifiable by the presence of
antibodies against beta cells) develops slowly and
so is often confused with
Type 2
diabetes. In addition, a
small proportion of type 1 diabetes cases has the hereditary
condition maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY).
It is recommended that Transfer
Factor to be used in autoimmune conditions.
Transfer Factor Plus is generally preferred for
conditions caused by infection. Transfer Factors
suppress over acting immune system
to ease autoimmune conditions.
Some poisons (e.g. certain rat poisons) work by
selectively destroying certain types of cells,
including pancreatic beta cells, thus producing
"artificial" type 1 diabetes. Other pancreatic
problems including trauma, pancreatitis or tumors
(either malignant or benign) can also lead to
loss
of insulin production.Currently, type 1
diabetes is treated with insulin
injections, lifestyle adjustments, and careful
monitoring of
blood glucose levels using blood test
kits. Insulin delivery is also available by an
insulin pump, which allows the infusion of insulin
24 hours a day at preset levels, and the ability to
program push doses (bolus) of insulin as needed at
meal times. The treatment must be continued
indefinitely. Experimental replacement of beta cells
(by transplant) is being investigated in several
research programs and may become clinically
available in the future.
About 5-10% of all North American cases of
diabetes are Type 1 diabetics. The fraction of
type
1 diabetics in other parts of the world differs;
this is likely due to both differences in the rate
of type 1 diabetics and differences in the rate of other
types, most prominently
type 2
diabetics. Most of this
difference is not currently understood.
Formerly, type 1 diabetes was called "childhood"
or "juvenile" diabetes or "insulin dependent"
diabetes. Each term is a misnomer, especially since
the obesity epidemic in recent years has led to
increased incidence of
type 2 diabetes in children
and adolescents in the USA, and insulin is used in
some type 2 cases.
It is recommended that Transfer
Factor to be used in autoimmune conditions.
Transfer Factor Plus is generally preferred for
conditions caused by infection. Transfer Factors
suppress over acting immune system
to ease autoimmune conditions.
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Type 2 diabetes is characterized by "insulin
resistance" as body cells do not respond
appropriately when insulin is present. This is a
more complex problem than
type 1
diabetes, but is sometimes
easier to treat, since insulin is still produced,
especially in the initial years.
Type 2
diabetes may go
unnoticed for years in a patient before diagnosis,
since the symptoms are typically milder (no ketoacidosis) and can be sporadic. However, severe
complications can result from unnoticed type 2
diabetes, including renal failure, and coronary
artery disease.
Type 2 diabetes was formerly known by a variety
of partially misleading names, including
"adult-onset diabetes", "obesity-related diabetes",
"insulin-resistant diabetes", or
"non-insulin-dependent diabetes" (NIDDM). It may be
caused by a number of diseases, such as
hemochromatosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, and
can also be caused by certain types of medications
(e.g. long-term steroid use).
About 90-95% of all
North American cases of diabetes are type 2
diabetics, and
about 20% of the population over the age of 65 is a
type 2 diabetic. The fraction of type 2 diabetics in
other parts of the world varies substantially,
almost certainly for environmental and lifestyle
reasons. There is also a strong inheritable genetic
connection in type 2 diabetes: having relatives
(especially first degree) with type 2 diabetes is a
considerable risk factor for developing type 2
diabetes.
The majority
of patients with type 2
diabetes mellitus are obese - chronic obesity leads
to
increased insulin resistance that can develop
into diabetes, most likely because adipose tissue is
a (recently identified) source of chemical signals
(hormones and cytokines). Other research shows that
type 2 diabetes causes obesity.
Type 2 diabetes is initially treated by changes in diet
and through
weight loss. This can restore insulin
sensitivity, even when the
weight lost is modest
e.g. around 5 kg (10 to 15 lb). The next step, if
necessary, is treatment with
oral antidiabetic
drugs: the sulphonylureas, metformin, or (if these
are insufficient) thiazolidinediones. When these
have failed,
insulin therapy may be necessary to
maintain normal glucose levels.
By:
The Medical Symptoms Database
Pycnogenol (French
maritime pine tree extract) Benefit for Diabetes
Immune
System & Diabetes
Transfer Factor & Immune Functions
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