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 DIABETES IS a near-epidemic disease characterized by the body’s failure to make insulin, or the body has become resistant to the insulin it does make. Insulin is an essential, life-giving hormone that facilitates the production of energy from sugar and other foods. The cause of diabetes is unknown, although genetics, exercise, and diet may affect it.
There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 refers to the situation where the body simply does not produce sufficient insulin. Five to ten percent of those diagnosed with diabetes have this form. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body is resistant to the insulin that is produced. This resistance requires the body to produce more insulin which, in turn, causes even greater resistance; a downward spiral of health results.
Over eighteen million Americans—more than six percent of the population—now have diabetes, with an additional 1.3 million new cases diagnosed each year.* It ranks as the most expensive and the fifth-deadliest disease in the United States, with diabetes patients having twice the risk of death as the normal population. There is currently no cure, and treatment is limited to taking insulin orally or through injection, or taking a hypoglycemic medication, with diet and exercise playing supportive roles.
Both forms of diabetes may produce serious complications such as:
- Heart disease, including heart attack, hardening of the arteries, stroke, and other complications related to poor circulation such as skin ulcerations and foot problems. Twice as many people suffering from diabetes are expected to have heart disease as those who do not have the disorder. More than 65 percent of deaths in diabetes patients are attributed to heart disease.
- Kidney Disease, ranging from minor damage to complete failure. About 43 percent of kidney failure patients suffer from diabetes, and are treated by dialysis or kidney transplantation.
- Eye problems, from cataracts to blindness. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in people ages 20-74. Nearly all patients with Type 1 diabetes for 20 years will develop significant eye damage.
- Charcot’s joint, where bone disintegrates. Surgical joint replacement and/or confinement to a wheelchair results.
- Neuropathy and nerve damage, typically affecting the extremities and spanning a spectrum from extreme pain to no pain and no feeling whatsoever. More than 60 percent of nontraumatic lower-limb amputations in the United States occur among people with diabetes. The risk for a leg amputation is up to 40 percent greater for a person with diabetes.**
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* The National Institutes of Health
** American Diabetes Association |
