It pays to know about diabetes. Did you know that over twenty-four million Americans are diabetic, and that over five million have not been diagnosed yet? Diabetes is a major cause of medical disability and retirement, of people having premature strokes and heart attacks, of amputations, and of winding up on kidney dialysis machines. It can significantly complicate pregnancy for both the mother and her unborn child. It is not yet curable. However, its symptoms and insidious damage can certainly be reduced with proper treatment.
Diabetes has been basically streamlined in its terminology, that is, there is Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. Type 1 occurs because the specialized cells, called beta cells, in the pancreas produce too little insulin. Insulin has to be injected into the skin or blood stream to make up for this lack. Otherwise the person has a generalized wasting disease, gaunt appearance, weight loss in spite of a voracious appetite, unquenchable thirst, sugar in the urine, and high levels of sugar in the blood. Type 2 diabetes occurs when insulin receptor cells, especially in fat cells, are desensitized and don