More than 14 million Americans have Type II diabetes, yet half of them don't know it. That's because Type II diabetes, previously called adult-onset diabetes, has signs and symptoms that develop gradually and may not begin until several years after onset of the disease. Signs and symptoms can include extreme thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, blurry vision from time to time and unusual tiredness or drowsiness. If you have any of these, contact your doctor. Early diagnosis of diabetes is critical. The longer the disease goes untreated, the more likely it is you're at risk for developing long-term complications. Complications can include blindness, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and limb amputations. But how do you know if you have diabetes if you don't yet have symptoms? A blood test is the only way to tell for sure.
Diabetes
is a disorder of the body's metabolism, the process of converting
the food we eat into energy. Insulin is the major factor in this process,
which begins when food is broken down during digestion to create glucose,
the main source of fuel for the body. This glucose passes into the
bloodstream, where insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas (a
large gland behind the stomach), allows it to get into the cells.
In people with diabetes, one of two parts of this system fails to
work properly: the pancreas produces little or no insulin (Type I);
or the body's cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced
(Type II).
Types of Diabetes
Type I, or insulin-dependent, diabetes is sometimes referred to as juvenile diabetes because it most often begins in childhood (although it may also occur in adults). Because the body does not manufacture insulin, people with Type I diabetes must take insulin shots to live. Less than 10 percent of people who have diabetes have Type I. In Type II diabetes, also referred to as adult-onset-diabetes, the body may make insulin, but either it makes too little, or it can't use what it makes--the insulin is there, but it can't escort the glucose through the entrances to the cells. Type II diabetes occurs most commonly in people over age thirty to forty.
Type 2 diabetes, also known as non-insulin-dependent DM. The onset of Type II DM (non-insulin-dependent DM; adult onset DM) is over 30 years of age and this disease is associated with obesity, and normal or increased blood insulinn dependent diabetes, is strongly associated with obesity. Losing weight is usually the first step in treating the disease.
