Almost everyone knows someone who has diabetes. An estimated 20.8 million people in the United States—7.0 percent of the population—have diabetes, a serious, lifelong condition. Of those, 14.6 million have been diagnosed, and 6.2 million have not yet been diagnosed. In 2005, about 1.5 million people aged 20 or older were diagnosed with diabetes.

Risk factors of Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes occurs because your body cannot produce any insulin, a hormone that is needed to control the amount of glucose (sugar) in your blood.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) - when a woman’s body produces an excess of testosterone (a male hormone) which causes the ovaries to release eggs (ovulate) less frequently than normal or they don’t release eggs at all. This syndrome usually causes irregular or absent menstrual cycles.

People with type 1 diabetes are more likely to have heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, high blood pressure, blindness, nerve damage and gum disease. These things happen 2 to 4 times more often in people with diabetes than in people without diabetes.

Diabetes Symptoms

Diabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem so harmless. Recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chance of developing the complications of diabetes

In type 2 diabetes, symptoms may go unnoticed for years, and only when complications of diabetes - such as foot ulceration or blurred vision occur - is diabetes diagnosed. Remember that all the symptoms may not be present.

Many of the signs of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are similar. In both, there is too much glucose in the blood and not enough in the cells of your body. High glucose levels in Type I are due to a lack of insulin because the insulin producing cells have been destroyed.

Treatment  of Diabetes

If you have diabetes, your doctor may tell you to regularly check your blood sugar levels at home. There are a number of devices available, and they use only a drop of blood. Self-monitoring tells you how well diet, medication, and exercise are working together to control your diabetes and can help your doctor prevent complications.

In the past, the insulin was being derived from animal sources, particularly cows and pigs. Not only was there a problem with enough supply of insulin to meet the demand, but beef and pork insulin also had specific problems. Originating from animals, these types of insulin caused immune reactions in some people.

Medication. Any medications you take may affect your blood sugar level, sometimes requiring changes in your diabetes treatment plan.

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