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However, it is not good for our health to have too much glucose in the blood. In a part of our body called the pancreas (say pan-kree-us), a chemical called insulin (say in-seeoo-lin) is released. The pancreas is near the stomach. Insulin helps the glucose from food leave the blood and get into the body's cells to be stored for when energy is needed.
Some
people's bodies cannot make enough insulin and the glucose doesn't
leave their blood and get into their cells. Their blood glucose
then becomes too high. These people have diabetes.
This man has been
diagnosed with diabetes and is being taught about what to do to
keep it under control.
Diabetics who are not being treated for diabetes may show some of these signs:
* being very thirsty
* urinating often, day and night
* feeling very hungry or tired
* losing weight without trying
* slow healing of sores or cuts
* having dry, itchy skin
* losing feeling in the feet or having tingling in the feet
* having blurry eyesight
There are
three main kinds of diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes, often called juvenile diabetes, usually
occurs in children, teenagers, or young adults. In this form of
diabetes, the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Diabetics
with this type of diabetes generally need injections of insulin
daily for the rest of their life.
Type 2 diabetes, often called adult-onset diabetes, is
the most common form of diabetes. People can develop type 2 diabetes
at any age, even during childhood. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas
does not make enough insulin, and the fat, muscle, or liver cells
do not use it properly. Being overweight can increase the chances
of developing this form of diabetes. Type 2 diabetics may be able
to control their diabetes by careful eating choices, some may
take tablets, and some may have to have insulin injections. The
tablets are not insulin and are used when a person's pancreas
is producing some insulin but not enough. The tablets stimulate
the pancreas to produce more insulin.
Gestational Diabetes Sometimes women develop this form
of diabetes while they are pregnant. In such cases, the pregnancy
has caused a lack of hormones or insulin. Generally this form
of diabetes goes away after the baby is born. However, women who
develop gestational diabetes are at risk of later developing type
2 diabetes.
Blood Glucose testing
Diabetics must test daily, often several times a day, to check that they do not have too much glucose in their blood. They may test either their urine or their blood. Glucose is not normally found in urine, but if someone's blood sugar levels are high, some of the excess will pass through the kidneys and into the urine. However, diabetics who inject insulin (they are called insulin-dependent diabetics) can test their urine for ketones (say kee-tones). When the body's cells cannot use sugar
to produce energy, the cells break down fat for energy. Ketones
are formed from fat. It is important for insulin dependent diabetics
who are pregnant or ill to test for ketones.
Most diabetics do a simple blood
test to measure their blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels. They
have a device that pricks a finger to allow a drop of blood to
appear.
The blood is dripped
onto one end of a test stick which changes colour according to
the amount of sugar that is in the blood. There are also small
machines to give accurate measurements. One end of a test strip
is inserted into a slot, and a drop of blood dripped on the other
end. After a few seconds there is a digital read out of the blood
sugar level.
