A Burgeoning Medical Reality
Diabetes is a metabolic disorder affecting nearly 10 percent of Americans. Costs related to the condition reached $245 billion in 2012 compared to $174 billion spent in 2007. Matt Petersen, the American Diabetes Association's managing director of medical information and professional engagement, attributes this rise partially to an aging population and obesity currently at epidemic levels. "I know of no other disease that's increasing at (about) 8 percent per year."
Complications from diabetes may be serious and range from kidney failure to leg and foot amputation from infections in those areas. Keeping your blood glucose (blood sugar levels stable and under control, along with healthy eating habits, is key to preventing these and other problems such as heart disease, blindness, and arm and leg neuropathies from nerve damage caused by cells receiving insufficient amounts of oxygen.
Diabetes occurs in two different primary forms. Normally, the pancreas, a gland found behind the stomach, secretes insulin, a hormone that moves glucose into the cells. In Type I diabetes, an autoimmune condition, develops when the body attacks the only cells in the body that produce insulin, pancreatic beta cells. The primary risk factor for Type 1 is a parent or sibling with the disease. In Type II diabetes, insulin is present, but the body does not respond to or process it efficiently.
An analogy to illustrate the two types of diabetes: Imagine a gas pump with no gasoline supply or a pump that has gasoline but a malfunctioning delivery system. Neither can effectively fuel your car.