Diabetes And The Health And Economic Consequences Of Diabetes

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Diabetes affects 18.2 million people in the United States. It is often referred to by doctors as diabetes mellitus and described as, “… a metabolic disease in which the person has high blood sugar …” (Collazo- Clavell et all. 2009), either because the insulin is inadequate or the body’s cells don’t respond well to the insulin. The health and economic consequences of diabetes are considerable. The majority of people that have diabetes live in low and middle income countries, where the prevalence of the disease is high. There are three types of diabetes that are called type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Although diabetes is a disorder, it can lead to other diseases such as heart attack, kidney failure or death. A person that has diabetes has to maintain a healthy lifestyle, by eating the right diet, controlling their blood sugar level, and be optimistic.

Type 1 diabetes is a common form of diabetes that’s usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and it’s previously known as juvenile diabetes. The symptoms of Type 1 diabetes are frequent urination, extreme thirst and hunger, unusual weight loss and exhaustion (American Diabetes Association, 2012). In type 1 diabetes, the body doesn’t produce insulin. In type 1 diabetes, the body breaks down the sugar and starches you eat into a simple sugar that’s called glucose, which it uses for energy. When you get diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, your pancreas is no longer capable of producing insulin (American Diabetes Association, 2012). However, when you get multiple daily injections with insulin pens, syringes, or an insulin pump, then it will be up to you to monitor the blood glucose levels and administer your insulin. With type 1 diabetes it’s important to balance ...

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...There are three types of diabetes that are referred to as type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Some of the symptoms of diabetes are referred to as increased urine output, excessive thirst, weight loss, hunger, fatigue, skin problems, slow healing wounds, yeast infections, blurred vision and tingling or numbness in the feet or toes. There are both acute and chronic complications of diabetes. Some acute complications of diabetes are dangerously elevated blood sugar (hyperglycemia) or abnormally low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Some chronic complications of diabetes include disease of the blood vessels (both small and large) that can damage the kidneys, feet, eyes, nerves and heart. Diabetes is an important factor in accelerating the hardening and narrowing of the arteries which leads to arthesclerosis, strokes, coronary heart disease and other large blood vessels.

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