DIABETES support group

We need food to give us energy. The carbohydrates we consume are eventually broken down into a simple sugar called glucose. Glucose then passes into the bloodstream, where it becomes available for the body to use for growth and energy. For glucose to be used by cells in the body, a hormone produced by the pancreas, called insulin, is needed.

In diabetes, the pancreas produces little or no insulin, or the cells throughout the body are unable to respond to the insulin that is being produced. The result is a build-up of glucose in the blood, which eventually spills over into the urine. Elevated blood glucose levels are responsible for the many health problems associated with diabetes.

There are three main types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes

Also known as insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes.
In this type of diabetes the pancreas produces little or no insulin.
Treatment always involves injections of insulin along with diet modifications to control blood glucose levels.
This form of diabetes accounts for about 5 percent to 10 percent of all cases in the United States.

Type 2 diabetes

Also known as noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult onset diabetes.
People with this type of diabetes have a combination of insulin resistance and a defect in insulin production.
Treatment may involve diet modification and exercise alone, oral medications and/or insulin injections to control blood glucose levels.
This form of diabetes accounts for 90 percent to 95 percent of all cases in the United States.

Gestational diabetes

This type of diabetes only affects pregnant women.
Treatment may involve diet alone or insulin injections to control blood glucose levels.
This type of diabetes usually resolves once the pregnancy is over, but women who experience gestational diabetes have a greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

How common is type 2 diabetes?

More than 18 million Americans have type 2 diabetes. Of these with diabetes, about one-third don't know they have the disease. People with type 2 diabetes usually develop the condition after age 45, and the risk for getting it increases with age. About 18 percent of the U.S. population 65 and older has diabetes. However, the number of children with type 2 diabetes in increasing rapidly.

In a person with type 2 diabetes, the pancreas usually produces insulin, but for some reason the body resists the action of insulin being produced and it does not control blood sugar. The result is the same as in type 1 diabetes -- a buildup of glucose in the blood, due to the body's inability to use it as a major source of energy.

Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include:

Obesity. Most people with type 2 diabetes are obese, weighing at least 20 percent more than what is recommended for their height. Insulin resistance increases when weight is excessive.
Heredity. Unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes tends to run in families.
Age. The risk for developing type 2 diabetes increases with age. Half of all new cases of type 2 diabetes occur in people 55 or older.
Race. Compared with Caucasians and Asians, type 2 diabetes is more common among American Indians, African-Americans and Hispanics.
Sedentary Lifestyle. Insulin resistance increases with lack of exercise.
Women who have had gestational diabetes. Women who develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy have an increased risk of getting type 2 diabetes later on in life. Women who give birth to babies weighing 9 pounds or more at birth also have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Certain medications. The use of certain drugs, including thiazide diuretics and steroids, may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes.

Recent discoveries in type 2 diabetes

Diabetes research efforts have led to better management of not only the disease itself but also the complications that are associated with it. Some of the more recent advances in type 2 diabetes research include:

Newer drugs to treat type 2 diabetes.
Better and easier ways to monitor blood glucose levels.
Laser treatments for diabetic eye disease.
Insulin pumps, replacing the need for daily insulin injections for some people.
Newer forms of purified insulin.
New evidence that drugs called ACE inhibitors prevent or delay diabetic kidney failure.
The discovery of a number of genes associated with type 2 diabetes.
Increasing knowledge about the relationship between obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Continuing research in the area of islet cell transplants and engineered islet cells.

Indeed the future for those affected by diabetes looks hopeful. Research efforts during the last 80 years have led to improved management and treatment of diabetes today. Although much work remains in diabetes research, the path to a cure for diabetes is getting shorter each day.