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Author:
John Mancini

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with diabetes, it can be scary with all of the conflicting information on diabetes that is currently available. While the internet can yield some great information, there is also a lot of wrong information that needs to be sifted through. This article will provide accurate, useful information on diabetes for you.

1- When looking for information on diabetes, there are three types to learn about. One of the best places to find the information you need about type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes is from your doctor. However, another good way to find this information is on the internet. When you are looking up information on diabetes online, it is important to be sure that you are getting it from a reputable source. The government has several websites that has the kind of accurate information on diabetes that you need.

2- The two most common types of diabetes are Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 is a direct result of the body's failure to properly manufacture the insulin that it needs. Insulin is a hormone that allows glucose inside cells to fuel them. While being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes is serious, it is defiantly an illness that can be lived with and controlled. The information on diabetes will reveal that Type 1 diabetes is controlled by insulin injections.

3- While looking for information on diabetes, your search will reveal that Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes and is often found among the aging population. Type 2 differs from Type 1 in that Type 2 diabetes patients do produce insulin, but for some reason the cells ignore its presence. This results in a build up of glucose in the body, which can lead to blindness, heart disease and kidney damage to name a few of the complications that are associated with Type 2 diabetes.

4- A much less common form of diabetes that people suffer from is gestational diabetes. According to available information on diabetes, this form affects approximately 4% of all pregnant women or 135,000 each year. Gestational diabetes becomes an issue in the later stages of pregnancy and can cause issues with delivery as well as predispose the baby to Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes later in life.

5- While looking for information on diabetes it is important to find information on the complications that accompany the disease as well. While diabetes is a treatable illness, it does have some complications that should not be ignored. If you notice any of these issues, it is important to see your doctor immediately. Some of the issues associated with diabetes include an increase in periodontal disease, sexual dysfunction among men and women, an increase in blood pressure and nerve damage. This is a small list of the complications that are common with diabetes; your physician will be able to provide a more complete list.

About the author:

John Mancini has been writing about Diabetes online and offline for a long time. Visit http://diabetes-now.info or http://diabetes-central.net to read more about matters like diabetes symptoms and diabetes care.

| Article Keywords: Diabetes

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Diabetes... Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Diabetes affects the manner in which the body handles digested carbohydrates. If neglected, diabetes can cause serious health complications, ranging from blindness to kidney failure. Approximately 8% of the population in the United States has diabetes. This means that approximately 16 million people have been diagnosed with the disease, based only on national statistics. The American Diabetes Association estimates that diabetes accounts for 178,000 deaths, 54,000 amputees, and 12,000-24,000 cases of blindness annually. Blindness is 25 times more common among diabetic patients compared to nondiabetics. It is proposed that by the year 2010, diabetes will exceed both heart disease and cancer as the leading cause of death through its many complications. Diabetics have a high level of blood glucose. The blood sugar level is regulated by insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, which releases it in response to food consumption. Insulin causes the cells of the body to take in glucose from the blood. The glucose is used as fuel for cellular functions. Diagnostic standards for diabetes have been fasting plasma glucose levels greater than 140 mg/dL on two occasions and plasma glucose greater than 200 mg/dL following a 75-gram glucose load. More recently, the American Diabetes Association lowered the criteria for a diabetes diagnosis to fasting plasma glucose levels equal to or greater than 126 mg/dL. Fasting plasma levels outside the normal limit require additional tests, usually by repeating the fasting plasma glucose test and (if indicated) giving the patient an oral glucose tolerance test. The symptoms of diabetes include excessive urination, excessive thirst and hunger, sudden weight loss, blurred vision, delay in healing of wounds, dry and itchy skin, repeated...