It is hard to keep up with what your teen is doing and how they are feeling. This makes it essential to be able to spot diabetic symptoms in teenagers easily. For the most part, the kind of diabetes teenagers get is type-1. However, increasingly children and teens are developing type-2 diabetes. Diabetic symptoms in teenagers are similar, but have a few deviations. Please read the following:

Type-1 Diabetic Symptoms in Teenagers

Frequent Urination – You may notice your child using the bathroom more frequently than usual. This is because their body is trying to get rid of the excess blood sugar by passing it out through the urine.

Excess Thirst – A teenager who has diabetes will drink a lot of water and become dehydrated easily. This also happens because the body trying to flush out the excess sugar.

Excess Hunger – Sometimes it seems like teenagers eat all …

Diagnosing diabetic neuropathy can be challenging because so many conditions mirror the effects of it. The most common type of neuropathy found in diabetes is peripheral neuropathy, a type of neuropathy which affects the extremities of the body first. Usually symptoms begin in the feet and legs, followed by the hands and arms. According to Podiatry Today, when diagnosing diabetic neuropathy it is a “diagnosis of exclusion”. In other words the practitioner must “cast a very wide net of tests and keep an open mind regarding clinical suspicion in order to reach an accurate diagnostic conclusion.”

When diagnosing diabetic neuropathy your physician must consider possibilities such as whether another type of neuropathy could be affecting the lower extremities. Other things to be considered are usually thyroid problems, vitamin B12 deficiencies, nerve entrapments, lupus, kidney failure, nutritional deficiencies, and alcoholism. Failure to diagnose and treat other conditions which may have …

Diabetic symptoms in toddlers are very important to know, particularly if you have a family history of type-1 diabetes. The symptoms of a diabetic in toddlers are not hard to detect, but often this kind of problem in a child is unexpected. Knowing these symptoms beforehand allows you to catch these symptoms early on.

In type-1 diabetes, the body is unable to make insulin. Insulin is important to our survival. This is because insulin is the hormone that allows our cells to use glucose (sugar) to make energy. Without it our bodies begin to use fat and muscles to create this energy, wearing down the body. Plus, the sugar that is not being used stays in the blood stream damaging tissues and organs within our bodies. This is why early intervention is vital.

Symptoms of Diabetes in Toddlers

The first signs of diabetes in toddlers are usually frequent yeast …

What is a borderline diabetic? What are borderline diabetic symptoms? These are very good questions to be asking. A borderline diabetic may also be referred to as a pre-diabetic. Borderline diabetics, or pre-diabetics, have an impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), which means the glucose levels in the bloodstream are higher than normal, but not as high as someone with type-2 diabetes.

Borderline diabetic symptoms are virtually non-existent, as there really are no overt physical symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic. However, it is important to catch the disorder early on. Borderline diabetes is much easier to reverse than full-blown diabetes, which is what borderline diabetes eventually leads to.

Since the symptoms are hard to recognize, if they manifest themselves at all, you have to rely on the risk factors of the disease to determine if you should be tested. Pre-diabetes.com provides the following diabetic borderline risk factors:

• Being overweight or

A diabetic sickness is different than other sicknesses because your immune system isn’t as strong as a person’s without diabetes would be. This just means that you have to put a little more thought into it than another person would, just like you have to think through your meals and your daily routine. Learning the best ways to cope with sickness beforehand can keep a minor illness from becoming a major problem.

One problem that should be a major concern during a diabetic sickness is your blood sugar levels, which tend to spike when diabetics are sick. You may also be at risk of a diabetic coma during times of sickness. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), this is because when you are sick your body is under stress. In order to deal with that stress your body releases hormones to help fight the disease. Unfortunately, the hormones raise …

People don’t often realize that diabetic gum disease is one of the most common complications of diabetes. According to Diabetes.co.uk, an estimated one-third of all diabetics will suffer from diabetic gum disease at some stage of their disease. Keeping your blood sugar levels on target, routinely visiting your dentist, and practicing good self-care will help you to avoid oral issues in diabetes.

Blood glucose levels which are not strictly managed lead to higher than usual glucose levels in the mouth’s fluids. We all remember hearing that sugar rots our teeth when we were young, diabetic gum disease and other oral problems work by the same principles. When there are higher-than-usual sugar levels in the mouth it encourages the growth of gum disease-causing bacteria.

Another way that diabetic gum disease comes about is damage to the blood vessels. In diabetes the structure of the body’s blood vessels are often altered. This …

The problems of a diabetic in adults are often more severe than those of children for many reasons. They also may not manifest in the same ways. It is important to understand the problems of diabetics in adults in order to affectively treat the disease and promote good health.

As we grow older our immune system grows weaker without the complications of diabetes. Diabetes causes a weakened immune system that grows weaker with age. Also, problems that normally occur in the elderly such as eye problems, teeth problems, cholesterol and high blood pressure problems occur at early ages in adults with diabetes.

Diabetic Symptoms in Adults

The symptoms of a diabetic in adults are very similar to those of children. The only major difference is juvenile diabetes causes mood swings and irritability that are not normally observed in type-2 diabetics. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of the diabetic …

Diabetic microvascular disease normally leads to complications, such as diabetic neuropathy, nephropathy, and retinopathy. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) “the direct and indirect effects on the human vascular tree are the major source of morbidity and mortality in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.” Clinical treatment and prevention techniques are expanding, however.

The chance of developing a complication from diabetic microvascular disease depends on the severity of hyperglycemia and the duration of time a person has had diabetes. The most common complication of diabetic microvascular disease may be retinopathy. It is currently responsible for 10,000 new cases of blindness in the United States each year. Most patients with type 1 diabetes develop some degree of retinopathy within 20 years of diagnosis, and retinopathy may develop as early as 7 years before type 2 diabetes is even diagnosed in some patients.

The leading cause of renal failure in …

A diabetic prognosis will vary from person to person because the complications of diabetes are far less severe as well as less common among people with well controlled blood sugar levels. By keeping blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure levels under control, exercising regularly, and avoiding harmful activities such as drinking or smoking, the quality and duration of life can be very much improved. On the other hand, factors likesmoking, drinking alcohol, obesity, high LDL cholesterol levels, and high blood pressure levels all would make a diabetic prognosis worse.

Currently, diabetes is a leading cause of death in all industrialized nations, according to eMedicineHealth.com. Furthermore, the risk of premature death for a diabetic is twice that of people who do not have the disease. Other facts concerning the diabetic prognosis of type 1 and type 2 are listed below:

Type 1 Diabetic Prognosis

• Fifteen percent of people with

What is the relationship between creatinine levels and diabetes? Creatinine is a natural by-product of normal muscle breakdown. When high creatinine levels and diabetes is present, it could be a sign of diabetic kidney disease. Diabetic kidney disease, otherwise known as diabetic nephropathy, is caused by high blood sugar levels and high blood pressure.

There are several creatinine and diabetes tests that can help determine if a person is at risk of diabetic nephropathy. These tests can help your physician check for severe dehydration and check for the kidney problems that are caused by medications. Your physician will also be able to tell if your kidneys are working properly or if the condition of your kidney is changing. Creatinineand Diabetes kidney tests include:

A blood creatinine level test – This test shows checks the levels of creatinine in your system and determines how well your kidneys are working.

Creatinine …

As a diabetic, there is little information to learn about that is more vital than diabetes amputation causes. Diabetes is a leading cause of amputation throughout the world. Over half of the amputations which occur in the United States are cause by diabetes; most of them are in the lower-extremities. Diabetes amputation causes can, for the most part, be attributed to diabetic neuropathy. Peripheral diabetic neuropathy is characterized by damage to the foot’s sensory nerves and possibly those of the legs, hands, and arms. You don’t have to have diabetes to have neuropathy, but it is much more common in diabetics.

According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC), there are a number of reasons for neuropathies, which in turn are common diabetic amputation causes. These include:

Metabolic Factors – The leading cause of diabetic neuropathy is high blood sugar levels. People who have had diabetes for a long …

This article is about diabetes and impotence in men, which is a sensitive issue for some people. It is important to learn about diabetes and impotence in men because there are treatment options available. According to WebMd.com, it is estimated that about 35%-75% of men with diabetes experience some degree of erectile dysfunction within their lifetime. So, if you are suffering from this problem it is not unusual.

Normally, men with diabetes develop this problem 10-15 years earlier than if they did not have diabetes. As men age it becomes more and more common. Cases of diabetes and impotence in men are most common in men over 50. It occurs in over 50% of diabetics within this age group, and there is a 95% likelihood for men over the age of 70.

Impotence in men with diabetes is a complex problem. It is usually the result of impairments involving …

Diabetes and wound infection can be a deadly combination. Luckily, most complications of diabetes and wound infection can be avoided or prevented with early detection and prompt treatment. Diabetics are more prone to wound infections because their immune system is not as strong those of non-diabetics. Also, diabetics tend to have problems with circulation, vascular disorders, and nerve damage which contribute to the likelihood of an infection occurring. In fact, approximately 15% of diabetics develop foot ulcers and open sores and 6% of these require hospitalization to treat these infections and other complications.

WoundInfection.net recommends the following preventative methods for diabetes and wound infection complications:

1. Proper management of blood sugar levels is most important. Monitor your blood sugar frequently throughout the day and take note when your blood sugar is not at an appropriate level.
2. Avoid smoking, drinking alcohol, or any other activities which could prove harmful to your body

Diabetic retinal disease is the most common eye disease which leads to blindness in American adults. It is the result of changes of the blood vessels in the retina. According to the National Institutes of Health, diabetic retinal disease has four stages. They are as follows:

Mild non-proliferative retinopathy – This is the earliest stage of diabetic retinal disease. At this stage, small areas of balloon-like swelling, called microaneurysms occur, in the retina’s tiny blood vessels.

Moderate non-proliferative retinopathy – As the disease progresses, some of the blood vessels that nourish the retina are blocked.

Severe non-proliferative retinopathy – In this stage more blood vessels are blocked. This deprives several areas of the retina with their blood supply. These areas send signals to the body to grow new blood vessels for nourishment.

Proliferative Retinopathy – The new blood vessels that form in this stage are abnormal and fragile. They grow …

Did you ever want to know how fast food causes diabetes? There are actually a number of ways that fast food causes diabetes. Of course, how much fast food one eats is a personal choice. However, that also means that it is up to each and every person to attend to their own health. This may mean reducing your own fast food intake.

In the past our ancestors were either hunters and gatherers or they were farmers. They did not have blocks of food chains lined up to serve them saturated fats and refined sugars any time they chose. They spent as much or more energy out of their bodies trying to find or grow food as they took in at the end of the day. Furthermore, take into account what they ate. Normally it was lean meats with no additives or preservatives, vegetables, and possibly treats made of …

What is a gestational diabetes blood sugar levels chart? It is simply a chart which helps you to manage your blood sugar levels during pregnancy to help ensure optimal health for you and your baby. You see, a gestational diabetes pregnancy is considered a high risk pregnancy. However, if a woman takes careful care to keep her blood sugar levels under control, then essentially the pregnancy is as normal as any other pregnancy.

So, how do you use a gestational diabetes blood sugar levels chart? There are actually several different types of charts available. For example, a gestational diabetes blood sugar levels chart may give you a general description of where your blood sugar levels should be according to whether or not food has been eaten. This type of chart can be used a quick reference to help you determine where your blood sugar levels should be. It is …

Many people question how fast food causes diabetes.  The answer isn’t as simple as you might think.  Fast food is a great convenience to us as a society.  Americans in general work long hours and have very busy lives.  So, a nice fast meal is a good thing, in a way.  It provides us a way to eat quickly and at a good price.  However, these foods are usually not nutritious and they often have high levels of salt and carbohydrates that are pleasing but in no way good for you.

To understand how fast food causes diabetes, you must first have a basic understanding of the disease.  There are genetic factors at play, but for the most part type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance.  Insulin is the hormone which helps sugar to enter the cells so that it can be converted into energy.  Overtime, as we …

Not many people understand the connection between triglyceride levels and diabetes. Triglycerides account for 99% of the fat stored in our bodies. These fats serve as long-term energy sources for the body. Insulin moves both glucose and triglycerides from your bloodstream into your cells. High triglyceride levels may indicate that your cells are insulin resistant and that you may be at risk of type 2 diabetes, according to LiveStrong.com.

Triglyceride levels in diabetes patients are of a high concern. When insulin cannot move the triglycerides out of a person’s bloodstream it puts that person at risk of many types of complications. These include cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, stroke, nerve damage, and pancreatitis.

Concerning high triglyceride levels and diabetes, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends keeping your triglyceride levels below 150 mg/dl. Recommended ways of doing so include:

• Keeping control of your blood glucose levels
• Limiting your intake of saturated fats

Why would you want to know what causes frequent urination in diabetes? Understanding this will give you some insight of the inner workings of the disease. First, let’s take a moment to understand the disease. Diabetes is a disease of the metabolic system. It involves the hormone insulin. This hormone is what allows the cells to intake the sugar in the bloodstream and turn it into energy. You see, just like gasoline is fuel for a car, sugar is fuel for the body, which we need to follow through with our daily activities.

What occurs is in diabetes is either the body is not making enough insulin or the cells become resistant to the insulin that is made (insulin resistance). Type-1 diabetics normally cannot make enough insulin or not any at all. Type-2 diabetics are the ones who are insulin resistant. Frequent urination is common in all types of …

What causes gestational diabetes during pregnancy? This is a very important question to ask. Although most mothers with gestational diabetes have healthy babies, there are risks involved with having gestational diabetes during pregnancy. For example, babies of diabetes patients tend to be of a larger size than most babies. Therefore, there is an increased risk of the baby being injured during the birth and a c-section may have to be performed. Also, pregnant women with gestational diabetes must control their blood sugar levels to avoid harming themselves or their babies. This is why it is vital to know what causes gestational diabetes during pregnancy, and how, if possible, to prevent it.

During digestion, the body breaks down most of what you eat into glucose, which is basically sugar. The cells then use this sugar for energy. The way that glucose enters your cells from the bloodstream is with the …

One of the major symptoms of diabetes is increased thirst, which leads one to ask “What causes thirst in diabetes?” Thirst is our body’s natural response to a lack of fluid. This may happen because of high temperatures, exercise, or a response to the things that we eat.

Do you ever remember having a very sweet piece of cake or candy, and becoming extremely thirsty afterwards? This is because sugar particles deplete water from the body’s cells. When this happens chemical messages are sent to the brain indicating a need for excess fluids.

Similarly, when the brain senses that there is too much sugar in your blood stream, the body attempts to flush it out through our urine by using whatever bodily fluids available and may actually cause you to thirst for water. In response to this you urinate more frequently, and in turn, become thirsty again. …

Knowing the causes and risk factors of diabetes is crucial to your health. Currently there are 18.2 million people in the United States with diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. That is over 6% of the population, and it is estimated that 1/3 of the people with diabetes do not even know that they have it. This is a big problem because early detection is critical to avoiding painful and debilitating complications.

Diabetes is a disease of the metabolic system in which the body cannot properly produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed by the body to help turn the food that we eat into energy. Without insulin the cells are starved for energy and glucose (sugar) is left in the blood stream. Overtime, high levels of blood sugar can damage major organs such as your heart, eyes, and kidneys.

There are two major types of diabetes, …

There are a number of things that ‘dangerous diabetes levels’ could be referring to. Diabetes is a disease which can affect any part of the body, mostly due to dangerous diabetes levels of high blood sugar. In addition, the fact that most diabetics are obese or overweight contributes even more to dangerous diabetes levels such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and dangerous hospital bill levels.

Diabetes and Dangerous Blood Sugar Levels

What makes diabetes sugar levels dangerous? Of all the dangers diabetes levels to be concerned of, high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) are the most important. According to ABCnews.go.com, the effects of high blood sugar levels can be both short and long-termed. In the short-term, high blood sugar levels make you feel tired and weak, become dehydrated, lose electrolytes, and have blurred vision. It can also cause you to have frequent infections which can lead to …

Recent studies have shown significant evidence concerning diabetes and mood swings in men. Fluctuations in mood are often attributed to fluctuating blood sugar levels. However, feelings of anger, anxiety, remorse, guilt can also be attributed to people knowing they could have prevented type-2 diabetes if they had taken better care of themselves. Men also tend to get angry with others who presumably ‘led’ them to their current state.

In 2006 a study was performed on diabetes-associated disorders such as impotence and blood pressure. Aside from these results, the study showed that men have to contend with mood swings. This is particularly true for men of advanced ages. Sam Graci, a nutritional researcher, notes that as men age their hormones change. Testosterone levels deplete and estrogen levels rise, according to Daily Diabetic.com. Therefore, some unusual patterns of mood and emotions begin to manifest in older diabetic men.

Testosterone levels in …

Joslin.org provides a diabetic checklist for people with diabetes. This is a list of required tests and management skills that diabetics can review to help them to learn the skills of handling the disease. The diabetic checklist list includes things that you should learn such as:

• Meal Planning
• Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose
• Use of Insulin or Diabetes Pills
• Exercise
• Foot Care
• Sick Day Management
• Urine Testing for Ketones
• Tests that You Should Have at Least Once a Year
• Special Topics

There are a number of different websites that have their own versions of this checklist such as Tennessee.edu, ClevelandClinic.org, and LillyDiabetes.com, just to name a few. Many of these are downloadable and printable. They can be a great tool for someone who is trying to do their best in handling the disease. If you do not have all the skills necessary to handle diabetes (which can be very difficult …

Diabetic liver disease is among the top causes of death in people with diabetes. In fact, cirrhosis accounts for 12.5% of the deaths in people with diabetes. In addition, diabetes is reported by the majority of studies to be the most common cause of liver disease in the U.S., according the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Any liver-related conditions can be found in diabetic liver disease. These include:

• Abnormal Liver Enzymes
• Acute Liver Failure
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
• Cirrhosis
• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Acute Liver Failure

In addition, there is an unknown association between diabetic liver disease and Hepatitis C. Currently, the prevalence of cirrhosis is 12.3-57% in diabetics. Cryptogenic cirrhosis is the most common cause of diabetic liver disease, and is the third leading indication for liver transplantation in the U.S. Furthermore, according to the Mayo-Clinic, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease occurs in at least half of diabetics with type-2 and close …

Diabetics have a greater than normal need for nutrients. This is why diabetic vitamin supplements are so important. In particular, diabetics have a less than effective vitamin C metabolism. This is because insulin is what normally transports the antioxidant into your cells. Since diabetics lack sufficient amounts of the insulin hormone, the vitamin cannot be received by the cells. When you consider that diabetics already have a weakened immune system, a vitamin C deficiency can be a real problem.

Diabetic vitamin supplements also contain chromium, which is a very important nutritional supplement. The same as with vitamin C, the cell’s insensitivity to insulin causes lowered levels of chromium in the body. The nutrient is best taken in the form of niacin bound GTF chromium, or Chromemate. This diabetic vitamin, along with vitamin B6, and biotin, have all been found to help prevent diabetic neuropathy (nerve disease). Other diabetic vitamins and …

How do you get type 1 diabetes? Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, which means that a person’s immune system turns on itself and destroys cells. In type 1 diabetes the cells that are destroyed are those of the pancreas, which is the organ that produces the insulin that the body needs to function. Without insulin your blood cannot process blood sugar. Because blood sugar cannot be processed it accumulates in the bloodstream, and the results of this can be fatal.

It is still unclear why the beta cells in the pancreas suddenly stop producing insulin, but according to About.com the reasons appear to be due to:

Genes – Some people are genetically predisposed to developing type-1 diabetes. If a person has a first-degree family member, such as a parent or sibling with type-1 diabetes, the risk of that person developing type 1 diabetes is high. Researchers have not …

Obviously, if you are reading this you are looking for information on gestational diabetes. That is good. A mother with diabetes should learn as much information on gestational diabetes as possible in order to protect herself and her baby. Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes which is diagnosed during pregnancy and often is no longer present after the pregnancy ends.

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), gestational diabetes affects 18% of pregnancies. Specifically what causes gestational diabetes is still unknown; what is known is that gestational diabetes starts when your body is not able to make or use all the insulin that it needs for pregnancy. When this happens blood sugar cannot leave the bloodstream and so it builds up in the blood. Too much blood sugar in the blood can lead to bodily damage for you and your baby.

Usually, gestational diabetes is not found or …

Gathering information on juvenile diabetes is the best thing that you can do if you have a child who suffers from the disease. Diabetes is such a complex disease that it is important to learn as much information on diabetes as you can. In fact, if juvenile diabetes affects your life in any way, it is best to continue learning about it for years to come. This article will provide you with the basic information on juvenile diabetes, after which links are listed on where to go to continue to learn.

JDRF is the leading global organization which is focused on type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. Its website, JDRF.org, is a great place to obtain all types of information on juvenile diabetes. By their definition, type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, “is an autoimmune disease in which a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that enables people …

A staph infection is the most common type of skin infection found in diabetes. There are several reasons why a staph infection and diabetes are connected. Staph infections are commonly found in people with serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and lung disease. Also, people who are hospitalized with open wounds are likely to have staph infections. In fact, they are the leading causes of primary infection originating in hospitals in the United States, according to Answers.com.

Furthermore, diabetics have more bacterial infections than other people do because they have a less active immune system than most. This is even more troublesome because these types of infections take longer to heal in diabetics for the same reason. Anytime an infection occurs in diabetes, it is advisable that the diabetic visit their doctor as soon as possible. Staph infection and diabetes used to be a much more dangerous combination; however, with …

Kidney damage is one of the major complications that occur in diabetes. That is why it is important to see a doctor when diabetes and kidney infection symptoms occur. A diabetes kidney infection is most likely due to excess protein in the urine caused by excess blood sugar. This happens because high blood sugar levels lessen the kidney’s ability to filter blood properly.

One major problem is that diabetes can cause nerve damage, and if the nerves around the bladder are damaged, a person may not even be aware that a kidney infection is occurring. This is why it is important to see your doctor routinely and have a urine test annually at the very least. A urinalysis for diabetes and kidney infection will show red or white blood cells in the urine and bacteria may also be present.

If you do happen to feel symptoms of a kidney infection, …

If you were to look up Diabetes Complaints, you would find tons of videos about Dr. Jeff Hockings. Who is this guy? Dr. Jeff Hockings has been practicing medicine for over 20 years. In that time he has treated over 15,000 patients, and is internationally recognized as an expert in natural health. Although he has training in a number of different conditions, he concentrates mainly on diabetes, thyroid, and heart conditions.

Over the past 14 years Dr. Hockings has appeared on TV regularly, speaking about diabetic complaints, or how diabetics are not treated efficiently by their doctors. On one of his paid advertisements, on Leading Experts, he states that the traditional medical approach fails diabetics in two different ways. The first way is that doctors are only treating the symptoms and not the cause. The second, he claims, is that patients are all being treated the exact same …

If you are looking for a diabetic database, a good place to start is the National Institutes of Health website NIH.gov. The website provides a number of databases for diabetes to help researchers find the information that they need.  The following are examples of the databases that can be found on the website:

Beta Cell Biology Consortium (BCBC) – The purpose of this database is to facilitate interdisciplinary approaches to understanding a pancreatic islet cells development and regenerative abilities. Hopefully this diabetic database can help scientists and researchers find a way to restore normal insulin production.

Bioinformatics Information Support Contract (BISC) – The goal of this diabetic database is to advance the discovery and testing of new therapies for immune-related diseases.

Central NIDDK Repository for Biosamples and Data – The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has established a repository of biosamples as well as data …

Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness among adult between the ages of 20 and 74.  So, how does diabetes cause blindness? The leading cause of diabetic blindness is retinopathy. About 40% of people diagnosed with diabetes have some form of retinopathy, according to eHow.com. Other serious eye conditions affect diabetics as well. However, people with diabetes normally only have minor eye disorders. A person who gets check-ups regularly and seeks treatment when necessary will not normally become blind because of diabetes.

Early retinopathy is known as non-proliferative retinopathy. It is brought about by poor blood sugar control. The high levels of blood sugar eventually cause the small blood vessels (capillaries) of the eye to become fragile. They develop weak spots which balloon and form pouches, which are actually small aneurisms in the capillaries. If fluid leaks into the macula, which is responsible for precise vision, the macula …

You would think in the age we live in with so much information available to everyone at the click of a mouse that the question about if soda causes diabetes would have gone away long ago. The simple fact is that no research to date shows evidence that soda causes diabetes. The American Diabetes Association and many others have tried to get the information out for years. But the conception that sugar, candy, or soda causes diabetes persists. It may be the indirect relationship that causes the confusion.

What is the Relationship?

While there is no evidence that sugary foods and soda causes diabetes, these foods do tend to cause excess weight to be gained. Rather than the specific food or drink being consumed, it is more a lifestyle that is increasing the risk. Studies do show that people who include soda, or even diet soda, as a …

There is such a myriad of ways that diabetes can cause you harm. Most people don’t think about bladder and urine infection. Diabetes sufferers are more prone to these infections as well. So to the list of bacteria, fungal viral and other infections you can add bladder and urine infection. Diabetes patients, especially women, are two or three times as likely to develop bladder and urine infection. Diabetes also increase the risk of the infection spreading up in to the kidneys, and diabetics are much more likely to require hospitalization for urinary tract infections than non-diabetics. And while not reserved specifically for diabetics, bladder and urine infection diabetes patients are much more likely to suffer complications from these infections that become severe or life-threatening. Women are at a much higher risk of complications from urinary tract infections than are men, and should be screened for it more regularly if there …

Some of what causes gestational diabetes in pregnancy is understood but it isn’t always clear why some women have a problem with it while others don’t. What is known is that almost every woman will develop some degree of glucose intolerance that is impaired by the normal hormonal changes caused by pregnancy. That indicates that almost all pregnant women have higher than normal blood sugar. But this alone is not enough to explain what causes gestational diabetes in pregnancy. It does usually happen in the last trimester.

While pregnant, some hormone levels are increased, particularly those made in the placenta. This is needed to help pass nutrients from the mother to the baby. Meanwhile, other hormones in the placenta are produced to help the mother from developing low blood sugar levels. The way they work is by stopping the actions of insulin. Part of what causes gestational diabetes in pregnancy …

Not only can diabetes cause hair loss, but thinning or loss of hair can even be one of the first noticeable symptoms of the condition. Of course, many factors can contribute to hair loss, so because the question “can diabetes cause hair loss” can be answered in the affirmative one shouldn’t assume that the loss of hair means you have diabetes. The relationship between the two conditions is real but not particularly strong.

But for a healthy person, the hair grows at a rate of about half an inch monthly. And it is normal to lose hair on a daily basis. But if a person is diabetic, hair follicles grow at a slower rate, and they spend a longer time in the “resting phase” of the hair growth cycle. During the resting phase, the follicles aren’t producing hair, so the combination of slower growth and longer periods of no …

When inquiring “how can hypertension cause diabetes”, the answers you may get are not easily understood. High blood pressure is a risk factor in the development of diabetes and also can play a role in making many diabetic complications worse. But more often, diabetes leads to hypertension, so instead of asking “can hypertension cause diabetes”, it would probably more appropriate to reverse the question and ask if diabetes causes hypertension. Nevertheless, the two conditions are closely related and occur together so often they are officially considered to be “comorbidities”. This means they are likely to be seen together in the same patient.

How Are They Related?

Hypertension and diabetes share many of the same traits, and the effects of one disease make the other one worse. Can hypertension cause diabetes? Sure it can. But diabetes can cause hypertension just as easily, and it is sometimes difficult …

When most people think about childhood diabetes, type 1 diabetes comes to mind. Childhood diabetes causes many risks and complications no matter if it is type 1 or type 2.  And if type 1 diabetes comes to your mind first when thinking about childhood diabetes, it is for good reason. About 90 percent of diabetes in children under the age of 16 is type 1 diabetes. It is by far the most common in children.

Type 1 diabetes is a condition brought on by the pancreas’ inability to produce insulin. Type 1 childhood diabetes causes the body’s immune system to attack and destroy the insulin producing cells. The only realistic solution for type 1 diabetes is to inject or swallow insulin to replace what the pancreas doesn’t produce. The only upside to being diabetic as a child as opposed to developing it later in life is that children suffering from …

With the number of type 1 diabetes diagnosis’s worldwide on the rise, researchers have been looking to a possible link between diabetes and viruses as a cause. While a link has clearly been established, it is not clear that any particular virus directly causes diabetes. Viruses that cause the common cold, flu, and meningitis, the enteroviruses, are of particular concern. The link between diabetes and viruses is detailed in a report published by BMJ in 2011 involving 4448 participants. The study concluded that there is a clinically significant association between type 1 diabetes and viruses in the enterovirus group. The results are still a little controversial.

What does this Study of Diabetes and Viruses Mean?

At the bottom line of the study, the link between diabetes and viruses is established an association of enterovirus and type 1 diabetes at a 95% confidence ratio. The controversial part of the …

A diabetes helpline is often a good resource for the newly diagnosed diabetic. It can also be helpful for those with limited financial resources, and for those that may be house-bound due to health problems or lack of transportation. Just calling a diabetes helpline will put you in touch with a specialist who can make an assessment of your current situation and help you understand what your next step needs to be.

The resources available can help you get answers to questions about diabetes in general, or about test results, nutrition, medical regimens, finding a diabetes physician, side effects of medications, free supply or prescription resources, financial aid, and many other topics. But you should never substitute someone on the telephone, or an informative and helpful website for actual physician care tailored to your specific condition.

What are some of the Diabetes Helpline Resources Available?

• The Diabetes Research

Some people may question the need for something like a diabetes hotline in the internet age. With so much information available at the click of a mouse, the idea of a national diabetes hotline may seem a little outdated. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Some people, usually the elderly or low-income patients, do not have access to an internet connection without leaving the home. Furthermore, many people still don’t feel comfortable using the internet, don’t have a computer, or lack the knowledge needed to use the internet. Many very remote areas don’t have internet access either, or it is very expensive. So there are many reasons why a diabetes hotline can be a valuable resource.

What are some of the National Diabetes Hotline Resources Available?

• The American Diabetes Association is a probably the most trusted resource for diabetics, providing information about the condition itself as

A diabetes information sheet as page one of your diabetes journal will save you lots of time if an emergency comes up. This diabetes information sheet can also be a reference to compare you to others, and provides statistics that can help you see how your condition compares to the general population. The numbers and statistics on this Diabetes Reference sheet come from the Centers for Disease control in Atlanta, GA.(CDC)

General Diabetes Information Sheet Facts Regarding Those Affected*

• 25.8 million people in the U.S., or 8.3% of the population is affected by diabetes
• 18.8 million are diagnosed, and 7 million are estimated to be undiagnosed
• 26.9% of those over 65 years old had diabetes in 2010
• Approximately 215,000 people under age 20 had diabetes (type 1 or type 2) in 2010
• 1.9 million people over age 20 were diagnosed for the first time with diabetes in 2010

Although not absolutely settled, it is widely accepted that for people with diabetes, risk for infection is greatly enhanced.  Certainly, anyone can develop an infection. But for patients with diabetes, risk for infection of some specific types show a higher prevalence in diabetics, and have unique characteristics when they occur in diabetics when compared to non-diabetics.

Studying the diabetes risk for infection is made more difficult because infection data is less readily available from reliable sources.

How is an Infection Defined?

Before discussing the diabetes risk for infection, it is helpful to look at the medical definition of infection. It is defined as the invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms, which multiply and can lead to tissue damage and disease. This just means that an organism, (including bacteria, parasites, fungi, and viruses) enter the body and then start to grow out of control. The body responds by …

Most people are aware that diabetes has dangerous and adverse effects on the human body. Diabetic’s organs usually function at a lower level, and the diabetic immune system is not a healthy immune system. If left untreated, the diabetic immune system is degenerated even more than in a diabetic that is treating their condition. Long-lasting and persistent uncontrolled diabetes will degenerate the patient’s immune system to such an extent that they will almost certainly be vulnerable to deadly or harmful viruses and diseases at some point.

How is the Diabetic Immune System Compromised?

Diabetes changes the blood glucose levels of the diabetic’s body, which affects the functioning of the pancreas, where insulin is produced that is required to give the body the energy it needs on a daily basis. The lack of the proper amount of insulin causes the blood sugar level to rise to dangerous levels. The …

Diabetic peripheral vascular disease is a condition where the arteries in the legs and/or arms narrow as a result of the buildup of fatty plaque. This fatty plaque is known as lipid deposits. Diabetic peripheral vascular disease is also known medically as a condition called atherosclerosis. In this case, when the atherosclerosis develops in the legs (and less often in the arms) it is referred to as diabetic peripheral vascular disease.  People with diabetes are at a 20 times greater risk of developing diabetic peripheral vascular disease as is the general population that is not diabetic.

Along with diabetes, other risk factors for peripheral vascular disease include inactivity, smoking, advanced age (for example, it is more common after age 50), high stress levels, a history of heart disease, and high cholesterol.

What are the Symptoms of Diabetic Peripheral Vascular Disease?

The main symptom of diabetic peripheral vascular disease …

Does diabetes cause hair loss? It can contribute to the thinning of the hair. Diabetes is a disease that is hormone related and can cause the hair to thin. “Does diabetes cause hair loss?” is a questioned raised by more than a few diabetics. And it is a legitimate question because many diabetics notice their hair becoming thinner. But before concluding that the diabetes is causing the hair loss, other possibilities need to be explored, because many things can cause hair loss other than diabetes.

Why does Diabetes Cause Hair Loss?

Diabetes often results in poor blood circulation, which can affect the way the hair follicles act. Usually, hair will grow in cycles of between two and six years and then go into a period of dormancy, or no growth. After this period, the hair falls out and the follicle will produce a new strand of hair …

The general information on diabetes presented here is for the laymen, the generally uninformed (regarding diabetes), or for the recently diagnosed diabetic. General information on diabetes is helpful in guiding you towards more specific information geared towards your specific condition. This diabetes general information is not in any way intended to replace the advice of a doctor or other health specialist. It is only presented here to give an overview of diabetes that can teach you the basics and help you make good decisions on what to look for next.

General Information about Diabetes

People with diabetes either don’t make insulin at all, or make insulin in low amounts or in other ways that is not considered normal. The result is that the blood glucose level becomes too high.

Insulin is normally made in the pancreas and released to the bloodstream from there. Insulin is needed by the …

Many new diabetics don’t understand the relationship between hemoglobin levels and diabetes. They will need to be educated on it by their health care team and on their own. Understanding the meaning of hemoglobin levels and diabetes is a way to tell if your diabetes is being managed properly over a period of time.

Hemoglobin is the pigment that carries oxygen and is also what gives blood its red color. It is also the main protein in the red blood cells. Around 90% of hemoglobin is adult type, or hemoglobin A. One chemical component makes up 92% of hemoglobin A, with the remaining 8% made up of minor components that are slightly different chemically. Of interest to diabetics is hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), referred to as glucosylated or glucosylated hemoglobin. It is this component of hemoglobin that glucose binds with. Measurements of this A1c hemoglobin levels and diabetes management are …

Although anyone can have microvascular disease, diabetes and gender seem to the most commonly associated risk factors for it. Microvascular disease is a process through which the small branches of arteries throughout the body become damaged. A common component of other conditions, microvascular disease, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases are often associated. Microvascular diabetes and diabetes, along with being female, are the most commonly associated.

What Causes Microvascular Disease in Diabetes and Autoimmune Diseases?

The smallest branches of the arteries are very delicate but also very important structures. When these small vessels become damaged, the result is that blood flow is impaired. It is sometimes referred to as small vessel disease. For the fortunate patients, the small arteries sometimes can re-grow, thus overcoming the blockage. This is known as angiogenesis. It is a normal healing process in an otherwise healthy human with microvascular disease. Diabetes patients are usually not …

Researchers are still working on finding a definitive answer to what causes childhood diabetes. That definitive answer remains elusive, but much has been learned along the way. All of the factors that can lead to childhood diabetes aren’t known yet, but it has been determined that the susceptibility to the condition, known as type 1 diabetes, can be inherited. That said, what causes childhood diabetes to occur more in whites than blacks, yet equally in males and females remains a mystery. In the United states, about one out of every 250 people have type 1 diabetes, with the condition usually appearing before the age of 20.

Environmental factors are part of what causes childhood diabetes. It seems that type 1 diabetes can occur when something in the environment triggers the body’s immune system to attack the pancreas and destroy the beta cells of the organ. The beta cells are …

Doctors and researchers have a pretty good handle on most of what causes diabetes in adults. Most adults have what is known as type 2 diabetes. When the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin to control the body’s use of glucose, or the effectiveness of the insulin that is produced is reduced, you have the basics of what causes diabetes in adults.

Adults also suffer from gestational diabetes, which is diabetes during pregnancy thought to be brought on primarily by hormone changes and other stressors placed on the body during pregnancy.

Another classification of adult diabetes is known as secondary diabetes and is similar to type 2 diabetes. But what causes diabetes in adults diagnosed with secondary diabetes is usually some kind of damage to the pancreas brought on by alcohol, drugs like steroids and diuretics. This damage impairs the insulin production and secretion of the pancreas. But let’s focus …

The experts aren’t exactly sure what causes pre-diabetes, but they have found some genes that are related to insulin resistance. Other important factors seem to be agreed on by most experts as causes of pre-diabetes – specifically excess fat in the abdominal area and inactivity or a sedentary lifestyle.

Even if what causes pre-diabetes isn’t quite clear, what is certain is that patients with pre-diabetes aren’t processing glucose (sugar) the way they should. This results in a buildup of sugar in the bloodstream, instead of being pushed into the body’s cells to be used as energy in the muscles, organs, and other tissues.

What is happening in the Body of a Pre-Diabetes Patient?

In a person that doesn’t have diabetes or pre-diabetes, food that enters the body containing carbohydrates enters the digestive system, where the sugar enters the bloodstream and with the help of insulin created by …

What’s the cause of diabetes is a question many researchers would like a definitive answer to. Depending on which type of diabetes referred to, there are many answers and even more questions. Researchers think there may be a genetic predisposition to type 1 diabetes, but can’t be sure. Type 2 diabetes is more common but really less understood when looking for causes. Gestational diabetes is probably a little more understood, but it only happens during pregnancy, so that’s understandable. Let’s take a brief look at what’s the cause of diabetes in the over 23 million Americans that probably have the disease by taking a brief look at each type of diabetes.

What’s the Cause of Diabetes during Pregnancy?

Known as gestational diabetes, it usually occurs in the second trimester of pregnancy. It is thought that gestational diabetes is caused by hormones that the placenta releases in women susceptible …

No short article can give you comprehensive and complete information all about diabetes mellitus that is all inclusive. This article will attempt to give a general overview all about diabetes mellitus so that you will have enough information to decide where you may want to research further. Literally hundreds of thousands of pages of research has been published, and many shorter articles or books have been written all about diabetes mellitus in its various types and manifestations. Once you find out which area merits your further attention, you can fine tune your search and research the areas that pertain to your condition or the condition of someone important to you.

All You Need to Know about Diabetes Types

Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases that are characterized by blood glucose levels that are abnormally high. The high glucose levels are the result of either an inability to …

Because of the unexplained increase in rates of type 1 diabetes, hypotheses have been proposed to try to explain it. Most researchers believe that some of the risk factors are inherited, and some are environmental. If inherited, the exponential rise in the disease couldn’t be explained by heredity alone. If this were true, the rise should be proportional to the increase in populations the disease might be inherited from. But it is rising much faster than that. Most people favor an environmentally related diabetes hypothesis, which seems to make more sense, even if not proven.

The Accelerator Diabetes Hypothesis

Researchers at the Postgraduate Medical School, at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK, think that weight gain is the main factor increasing the rates of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. This diabetes hypothesis proposes that weight gain causes insulin resistance, and the high glucose levels that are caused by …

If you have type 2 diabetes, lifestyle disease may be an accurate way to describe your condition. It doesn’t feel comfortable, and many don’t like to face the cold hard facts, but it is probably an accurate way to describe type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle disease is a way to describe a condition that is brought about by the way you live, the choices about your health that you make, and the way you interact with the environment around you.

Lifestyle diseases can be ailments, disorders, or diseases that you suffer with because of the way you live your life and how you choose to take care of your own health needs. The most dangerous of these is diabetes. Lifestyle disease diagnosis’s used to be made, on average, around the age of 40. Soon, doctors and other experts think that average age will move down into the mid-thirties.

Causes of

When most people think about diabetes complications, things like blindness, organ failure, and other major medical problems come to mind. Diabetes skin infection isn’t generally one of the first things that come to mind.  But perhaps it should. Diabetes skin infection can result in anything from amputations that will seriously affect the quality of life to infections that result in death. Although you don’t have to be diabetic to get a skin infection, for patients with diabetes, skin infection is usually much more serious.

What are some Diabetic Skin Infection Types to be Concerned with?

• Bacterial infections. These can range in seriousness from something as seemingly harmless as a boil or a sty to something as serious as a staph infection. When any type of bacterial skin infection, diabetes tends to make it worse, and harder to heal. They don’t all end with serious consequences but they can.

Diabetes can cause many skin conditions. Diabetics are actually predisposed to skin infections. Fungal infection and diabetes are a common problem. Among the skin conditions that diabetes can give rise to, dry, itchy skin is the least severe. It can be disposed of with moisturizing lotions or dandruff shampoos. Bacterial infections like sties, carbuncles, and boils are also common in diabetics. But fungal infection and diabetes can be a more severe problem than the others. High glucose levels actually provide a better environment on the skin for fungi to grow. Fungal infection and diabetes pose a serious risk because left untreated, the fungal infection can grow into a problem that in the end leads to consequences as severe as amputation.

What type of fungal infections can cause problems?

ny fungal infection and diabetes elevated high glucose levels can lead to problems and none should be ignored.

• Tinea pedis that

Probably the biggest and most accessible help with diabetic needs comes from the government. On a federal level, help with diabetic financial burdens can be attained from both Medicaid and Medicare.

Medicaid – Medicaid is state-run, but federally mandated and is primarily aimed at low income individuals. The qualifications vary by the state, but in general the age range for help with diabetic supplies and other needs is between 18 and 64. Income must be below the poverty level, thee needs to be a child in the home and usually at least one person in the house needs to be totally disabled. The program will help with doctor visits, emergency and hospital services, and a small list of medications. To get Medicaid help with diabetic related costs, contact your state Department of Social Services to see what you might qualify for.

Medicare – Medicare will provide help with diabetic care …

Most people cannot answer or speak to the question of how does diabetes cause kidney failure. The process itself is important to understand so that it doesn’t happen to you. Rather than start off by answering the question of how does diabetes cause kidney failure, it is helpful to understand a little about what defines kidney failure and what the ramifications are.

The most common kidney failure cause is diabetes. And every year, over 100,000 people in the United States alone will be diagnosed with kidney failure. It is a very serious condition, and it is the final stage of chronic kidney disease.

The most common cause of kidney failure is diabetes. About 44% of all new cases are diabetes related. As recently as 2005, about 24 million people in the US had diabetes, and of those, 180,000 or so were living with kidney failure. It requires dialysis or …

Diabetes causes many complications, and macrovascular disease in diabetes is a major cause for concern. Of all the complications that arise with diabetes, macrovascular disease in diabetes are the set of diseases that lead to the most likely causes of death. When you look at these complications that make up the macrovascular disease diabetes category, it doesn’t take a doctor to realize just how serious macrovascular complications are. Coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, and stroke are the result of long term diabetes type 2 that is not adequately controlled. These complications alone are responsible for tens of thousands of death yearly. Stroke is the third leading cause of death, and heart disease is number one on the list. Often times, macrovascular disease in diabetes is the underlying cause of stroke and heart failure ot heart attack. Controlling your type 2 diabetes is the best defense.

Anyone Can Develop Macrovascular

Before answering the question of what causes adult diabetes, it is best to distinguish it from the other types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is something usually seen in young people. The pancreas is unable to produce insulin, which is necessary to survive. So insulin has to be introduced either orally or intravenously to keep the blood sugar level from becoming too high.

Type 2 diabetes is usually developed in adulthood, and thus referred to as adult diabetes. What causes adult diabetes is pretty well documented in the last few decades. The disturbing fact is that type 2 diabetes is being seen at younger ages as the years go on. So perhaps the more relevant question is what causes adult diabetes to develop at increasingly younger ages.

Let’s Explore What Causes Adult Onset Diabetes

Type 2, or adult onset diabetes is the resistance of the body to insulin, …

If you are wondering – can diabetes cause weight gain– the short answer is yes. But the reason you are wondering can diabetes cause weight gain is probably because you are having trouble with managing your weight. So it is more important to understand the causal relationship between diabetes, insulin, and weight management.

Weight gain is actually a common side effect for diabetics that use insulin as part of managing the disease. If possible, use natural treatments to control your blood sugar before having to control it with insulin. Insulin regulates sugar (or glucose) absorption into the body’s cells. So when you use insulin, glucose is able to enter your cells and the sugar level in the blood drops. Of course, this is the desired effect of using insulin. The problem comes in when you take in more calories than you burn and your cells get more glucose than …

If you are wondering – can drinking alcohol cause diabetes – you had probably better assess whether drinking alcohol has become a problem for you in the bigger scheme of things. The answer to the question is probably no, but scientists are always discovering new relationships to alcohol and a variety of consequences – usually negative consequences. There is not direct causal relationship to answer “can drinking alcohol cause diabetes”, but drinking causes so many reactions in the system it may well be found to be a risk factor. It is known to sometimes cause hypoglycemia, which is a drop in the blood sugar level below safe readings. Hypoglycemia mimics the symptoms of being drunk. So there is a risk of passing out while drinking heavily and nobody seeking help because they just think you are drunk. But the reason you are wondering can drinking alcohol cause diabetes is probably …

You know the feeling – muscle aches, fever, nausea.  Maybe you’re coming down with the flu. Diabetes and sickness complicate things further. You still need to take care of all the normal problems associated with monitoring your diabetes. Sickness makes it harder to do but don’t dare ignore your diabetes management. Diabetes and sickness is something most diabetics are forced to learn how to deal with, because if you don’t keep controlling your diabetes during your illness, you may put yourself at serious risk of complications. Just because you are sick doesn’t mean it’s OK to let up from your routine of testing, monitoring, medicating, and eating right.  It is important to think about how you will manage your diabetes and sickness ahead of time so your diabetes care doesn’t lapse.

What is the Best Way to Manage Sickness and Diabetes?

The best way to handle diabetes and …

Is diabetes leading cause of death in the US? No, it isn’t the leading cause but it is consistently in the top ten. In 2009, it was the seventh leading cause of death. And untold thousands more have died sooner than they would have without being diabetic. One study in Britain estimates that a 50 year old person with diabetes will die on average six years sooner than a non-diabetic.  To put that in some kind of context that might make it easier to understand, a long-time smoker will shorten their lifespan by 10 years.

What are some Ways That Diabetes Can Kill You?

• Diabetes leading cause of death #1 – Stroke is caused by damage to the arteries and veins
• Diabetes leading cause of death #2 – Heart attack
• Diabetes leading cause of death #3 – embolism
• Diabetes leading cause of death #4 – Kidney failure
• Diabetes

The leading cause of kidney failure in the United States is diabetic chronic kidney disease. It is a fact that you better get used to if you are a diabetic. The sure progression of diabetic chronic kidney disease is to end up with kidney failure. The best way to slow or prevent this progression is to treat your diabetes. The problem is that diabetic chronic kidney disease so often leads to kidney failure because the patient doesn’t know they even have a problem for a long period of time.

In the United States, about 24 million people have diabetes. About a fourth of them, or 6 million people, don’t know they have it and remain undiagnosed. So the obvious thing to do is to get your glucose levels tested yearly. If you catch it in the early stages, you have the best chance of managing your diabetes naturally without …

People with diabetes are much more prone to infection and foot problems than non-diabetics.  It shouldn’t be surprising that diabetic foot disease is a serious problem for many diabetes patients. In many cases, diabetic foot disease or the complications from them result in amputation. The serious problems are usually the result of infection from one of these diabetic foot disease problems:

• Diabetic neuropathy or damaged nerves
• Peripheral vascular disease or blocked arteries of the legs
• Foot ulceration that results in infection

Most of these initial problems can be prevented just with learning to properly care for the feet when you have diabetes. Diabetic foot disease doesn’t have to happen to you.

Neuropathy and Diabetic Foot Disease

Diabetic neuropathy is defined as damage of the nerve fibers in diabetic people. High blood glucose levels changes the nerve cell metabolism and reduces the blood flow to the nerve. The …

Does drinking cause diabetes? Not directly it doesn’t. Everyone knows the many harmful effects of drinking so we won’t cover those here but there are ways that drinking can indirectly cause diabetes. So perhaps the better question to ask would be “Does drinking cause diabetes indirectly?” And to that question the answer is a resounding yes!

How does Drinking Cause Diabetes Indirectly with Pancreatitis?

Excessive drinking can lead to pancreatitis. And since pancreatitis damages the pancreas, the chances are good that this damage will diminish the ability of the pancreas to secrete enough insulin into the blood to control the blood sugar. And this can, in fact, lead to diabetes.

Pancreatitis is a disease that inflames the pancreas. Almost half of all chronic cases are the cause of excessive alcohol consumption. This may not appear for many years but once it does, you don’t have a …

Most of us live life at full speed. Most of us burn the proverbial candle at both ends. And with it comes stress. But does stress cause diabetes? There is evidence that it might, and there is certainly proof that stress causes a lot of damage and takes its toll on our health.

Does Stress Cause Diabetes Blood Sugar To Rise?

Stress does cause blood sugar levels to rise both in diabetics and non-diabetics. The way this happens is even understood. Stress hormones such as epinephrine and cortisols are released in large amounts because their main function is to raise the blood sugar to help boost your energy level when the body needs it most. It is hard to fight off danger and react when your blood sugar is low. These hormones kick in to raise blood sugar to give energy to fight off the danger that …

It is legitimate and logical to wonder “is diabetes a genetic disease” because so many people in the same family seem to get it in the same family. It doesn’t seem to be inherited in the traditional sense, but it is also true that some people seem to be born predisposed to getting diabetes. So is diabetes a genetic disease? Let’s take a look at some information that may lead to that conclusion.

Is Diabetes A Genetic Disease That You Can Be Pre-Disposed To?

Although type 1 and type 2 diabetes have different causes, there are similar factors that connect the two in ways that suggest a diabetes genetic disease connection. It seems that the predisposition to diabetes is something that is inherited, but it takes a separate trigger in the environment to actually trigger it.  The direct genetic connection is argued against by looking at …

It is fairly easy to understand what causes diabetes in pregnancy to develop at a higher rate in women. It all boils down to glucose. Glucose is the body’s main nourishment, developing as the result of digesting food. Since we all digest food, we all produce glucose. When pregnant, the mother’s body must also provide glucose to supply the baby’s needs. The glucose is passed from the mother to the baby through the wall of the placenta. This is the baby’s sole source of nourishment.

The placenta makes hormones to aid the development of the fetus, but these same essential hormones also make it more difficult for the mother’s body to use up the insulin. After about 19 or 20 weeks, the placenta starts producing a lot more of these hormones that are “anti-insulin”, and is the beginning of what causes pregnancy diabetes.

If too many of these anti-insulin hormones …

Since as early as 1935, scientists have been asking “Can stress cause diabetes type 2?”. Even as long as 400 years ago, a English doctor named Thomas Willis made note that diabetes appeared often among people that had experienced important or significant life stresses, sadness, or long-term sorrow. In 1935, the question about can stress cause diabetes was attempted to be answered in a group of 25patients. A doctor named Menninger proposed the existence of a diabetic personality. But the test was biased in participant selection and it wasn’t deemed conclusive by his peers. But can stress cause diabetes if it is other forms of emotional stress, more defined and classified? Some more recent research has attempted to answer this question.

Can Stress Cause Diabetes If The Stress Is Connected To Depression?

Two recent studies have looked at depression and its associated stress and the relationship to …

The term metabolic syndrome is seen throughout the medical literature but many people never bother to define metabolic syndrome. In a nutshell, it is a term used to designate a group of metabolic risk factors that occur together in a single individual. And depending on which authority or group of researchers attempt to define metabolic syndrome, the actual definition can change. Nonetheless, the concept of a clustering of risks factors all leading to cardiovascular disease is well accepted. The main factors included in metabolic syndrome include insulin resistance, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, obesity, and an increased risk of clotting.

A Look at Some of the Traits That Define Metabolic Syndrome

• Obesity – this is loosely defined as a waist size over 40 inches in men and 35 inches in women
• Serum triglycerides of 150 mg/dl or above
• Cholesterol – HDL cholesterol levels 40mg/dl or lower in

If you are a diabetic, you should know that diabetes causes hypertension, or high blood pressure, in over half the cases. Sometimes it is difficult to determine which condition caused the other but the connection is undeniable. The fact that diabetes causes hypertension poses another problem because hypertension is a risk factor by itself in worsening many of the complications arising with diabetes. So it is indeed a double-edged sword.

Just Having High Blood Pressure Alone is Bad Enough.

If we disregard for a moment the possibility that diabetes causes hypertension, and that the two conditions make for a potentially deadly combination, let’s look at the increased risk of high blood pressure alone. When compared to people with normal blood pressure, patients with hypertension have an increased risk of heart disease (coronary artery disease), an increased risk of stroke, an increased risk of peripheral vascular disease, and …

While sometimes controversial, diabetic clinical trials need to be conducted on human beings before final approval for use by the general population. Before getting to the human stage, diabetic clinical trials involving potential new drug treatments have already gone through many tests, usually involving animals just prior to humans. Some people even protest the use of animals in these trials, but it is only through these tests that new drugs, therapies, and maybe one day a cure will be found for effectively treating the diabetic. The main complaint of people that are against these trials is that animals have no choice in participation and often end up dying or being killed as part of the research.

Clinical trials on humans are done on a voluntary basis. Sometimes the patients in these trials are compensated for their efforts, and in all cases the treatments, drugs, and therapies are provided at no …

Even though diabetic skin disease affects about 33% of all diabetics and can be very troublesome or serious, there is some good news. Almost ant diabetic skin disease can be either prevented or treated easily if caught soon enough. It’s important that you know what some of the diabetic skin disease types are so you can recognize their emergence and take precautions to prevent unnecessary complications. Even more important, the presence of a diabetic skin disease is sometimes the first indication a person gets that they have diabetes. So it can be an early warning system of sorts. Some of the infections are general types that almost anyone can get – like bacterial or fungal infections and generalized itching.

Others are more likely to occur in diabetes patients, and a few are exclusive to diabetes patients. Some of these diabetic skin diseases are diabetic dermopathy, necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum, diabetic blisters, …