Hello and welcome to your bi-weekly informational blog on diabetes. My name is Maureen Daniello, and I am a registered nurse and certified diabetes educator. I’m also the program coordinator of the diabetes education department here at Martin Memorial.
My objective is to inform you about this disease, how it is diagnosed and the different options available to treat diabetes. Also, I will be keeping you up to date with the latest developments in the management of diabetes.
Although you will be able to find excellent resources for diabetes through the blog, this is not to replace your physician visits, lab tests or nutrition counseling. Research has shown that managing blood glucose (sugar), blood pressure and cholesterol protects your future health. Making good choices, learning all you can and working closely with your health care team will help you prevent or delay complications from diabetes.
With that being said I welcome you and hope you enjoy reading about the different topics which will be presented throughout the year. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to e-mail me at info@mmhs-fla.org.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease in which blood-glucose levels are above normal. When we eat, most of the food turns into glucose (sugar). Our bodies then use this the glucose for energy. An organ in our body, the pancreas, makes a hormone called insulin. This hormone helps the sugar get into our cells.
If you have diabetes, your pancreas doesn’t produce any insulin, doesn’t use the insulin properly or, not enough insulin. So without insulin, or the insulin not working properly, your blood glucose rises. As a result, sugar builds up to dangerous levels in your blood.
Diabetes can lead to serious complications and premature death. However, if you have diabetes, you can take steps to control the disease and lower the risk of related health problems. You can still lead a long, healthy life with diabetes; it is self manageable and ultimately it’s up to you to take charge.
There are three major types of diabetes:
· Type 1 diabetes used to be called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes. Type 1 diabetes develops when the body’s immune system destroys pancreatic beta cells. These are the only cells in the body that make the hormone insulin that regulates blood sugar. If you have type 1 diabetes you must have insulin delivered to your body by injection or a pump in order to live.
· Type 2 diabetes used to be called non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes. Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. It usually begins as insulin resistance, a disorder in which the cells do not use insulin properly. As the need for insulin rises, the pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce it.
· Gestational diabetes is a form of glucose intolerance diagnosed in some women during pregnancy. Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 20 to 50 percent chance of developing diabetes in the next five to 10 years.
· Other types of diabetes result from specific genetic conditions (such as maturity-onset diabetes of youth), surgery, drugs, malnutrition, infections and other illnesses. Such types of diabetes account for one to five percent of all diagnosed cases.
· Pre-diabetes is the stage that occurs before a person is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but they are not high enough to be diagnosed with ‘diabetes.’
So, as you can see, there are many types of diabetes which can affect people at any age. I hope this helps you understand the basics of how the human body works and the different varieties of this disease. My next segment will discuss who is at risk for developing diabetes, what the symptoms are, how it is diagnosed, along with who should be tested.
Until next time my friends, keep moving, watch your portions and live your life to the fullest!
--Maureen Daniello, RN, CDE
Program Coordinator, Diabetes Education
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