There are three general types of diabetes: 1) Type I, which is known as juvenile onset diabetes; 2) Type II, which previously was referred to as adult onset or non-insulin dependent diabetes; and 3) Gestational diabetes, which is diabetes during pregnancy.

TYPE 1

In type 1 diabetes your body does not produce any insulin. Insulin is produced by the pancreas and is used to “shuttle” glucose (sugar) from the blood into the cells where it is used for energy. An insulin pump or shots are given so glucose (which is fuel for the cells) can be utilized from the foods we eat. People with this type of diabetes are at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, foot amputations (due to poor circulation in the blood vessels), blindness, kidney disease, cataracts and glaucoma, retinopathy, neuropathy and skin problems.

TYPE 2

Type 2 diabetes used to be seen typically among the adult population. But with the growing number of people who are obese, overweight children and teens are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes as well. With this type of diabetes the body’s ability to make insulin is impaired, and glucose builds up in the blood. As a result of this build up of glucose in the blood, over time, you have a higher likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease, hypertension, kidney and eye disease and neuropathy. Type 2 diabetes can affect anyone. However, certain ethnic groups in the United States are more likely to develop the disease as compared to others. These include: African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos, and Asian and Pacific Islanders. Treatment for Type 2 diabetes mellitus is usually 4-fold. It includes changes in diet and eating habits, weight loss and weight management, improvements in physical activity, and the inclusion of an oral medication for treatment therapy.

Have you been newly diagnosed with diabetes?

Check out the American Diabetes Association’s “Diabetes Learning Channel for the newly diagnosed”

Type 2 diabetes education videos are available for online viewing at the American Diabetes Association website. Topics include: “Type 2 diabetes: is it more than just blood sugar,” “Approaches to treating type 2 diabetes,” “Yeast infection and diabetes: What is the link?, ” and “ Understanding the link between hypertension and diabetes.”

** The information presented here was taken from the American Diabetes Association website at http://www.diabetes.org.

DIABETES FAST FACTS
(Year 2002 statistics- taken from the American Diabetes Association “National Diabetes Fact Sheet”)

• 18.2 million people – 6.3% of the population have diabetes
• Approximately 1 in every 400 to 500 children and adolescents have type 1 diabetes
• 1.3 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed per year in persons aged 20 years or older
• Diabetes was the sixth leading cause of death listed on US death certificates in 2000. This is based on 69, 301 death certificates in which diabetes was listed as the underlying cause of death. Altogether, diabetes contributed to 213, 062 deaths.
• Heart disease is the leading cause of diabetes-related deaths. Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes.
• The risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher among people with diabetes.
• Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults 20-74 years old.
• Diabetes is the leading cause of treated end-stage renal disease, accounting for 43% of new cases.
• More than 60% of non-traumatic lower-limb amputation in the United States occured among people with diabetes
• Poorly controlled diabetes before conception and during the first trimester of pregnancy can cause major birth defects in 5% to 10% of pregnancies and spontaneous abortions in 15% to 20% of pregnancies.

To learn more information about diabetes, please visit the following organizations websites:

American Diabetes Association
http://www.diabetes.org

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs

Indian Health Service
http://www.ihs.gov

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International http://www.jdrf.org

National Council of La Raza
http://www.nclr.org

National Diabetes Education Program
A joint program of NIH and CDC
http://www.ndep.nih.gob

US Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Minority Health
http://www.omhrc.gov

** You can also obtain local information and resources on diabetes by visiting your county or state health department.

By Anisha Wharton,MS PH, Health Consultant, The Church Online
Contact Anisha at awharton@thechurchonline.com