IDEA21(국제 당뇨병 교육 협회) : 당뇨란



		The Cause of Diabetes Diagnosis and Symptom of DM Types of Diabetes Distribution & Expense of Diabetic Patients History of Diabetes Meaning of "Controlling" Why should we control diabetes? [ The Cause of Diabetes ] Glucose is an energy that carries our daily activities and it is taken as a meal. All foods are turned into the form of glucose inside our body. Some foods change more quickly than others. A fasting glucose level for a healthy individual is about 100mg/dl (100mg of glucose in 100ml of blood ) and it increases after we take food. When it reaches about 150mg/dl, a hormone called insulin is released from the pancreas and it stores excessive glucose in the liver and muscle. A kidney normally does not release excessive glucose to urine until it reaches about 170mg/dl. Therefore, a healthy individual does not release glucose in his/her urine. For diabetic patients, insulin is not released in a normal manner or the body shows little sensitivity to insulin. Their bodies cannot store excessive glucose in their liver or muscles; hence, excessive insulin is released into their urine. This is one of the classic symptoms of DM. For this reason, it is recommended to look for DM through a urine test. Blood glucose tests are usually used to control the glucose for a person who has already been diagnosed with diabetes. The risk factors for DM include genetics, obesity, lack of exercise, poor eating habits, and stress. A proper diet and daily exercise may help relieve the daily stress we receive and it may also help prevent DM. [ Diagnosis and Symptom of DM ] The symptoms of DM may include tiredness, dry and itchy skin, poor eyesight, and a tingling sensation in the limbs. When the symptoms become worse, a person may have frequent infections, decreased libido, frequent drinking, constant thirst, and frequent urination. The conventional method of DM diagnosis is to take a urine test and compare the color of the strip to that of a healthy person. There is a trend now where people rely more on blood tests rather than urine tests because even a diabetic patient can show up negative on a urine test in his/her fasting state. Whether or not a person has eaten, it is the blood glucose test results more than 200mg/dl that diagnoses a person as diabetic. In addition, if the blood glucose level is higher than 125mg/dl in a person's fasting state or higher than 200mg/dl after the person has had 75g of sugar, the person is considered diabetic. [ Types of Diabetes ] There are two different types of diabetes. Type I is insulin dependent, and Type II is non-insulin dependent. Type I usually occurs before the age of 30 and often requires insulin shots for a person's lifetime. Type II usually occurs after the age of 40 and can be treated by dietary methods, oral medication, or insulin. While Type II patients sometimes require insulin shots, Type I diabetes always requires insulin. No oral medication should be taken by Type I diabetic patients. Sometimes pregnant women can develop diabetes during pregnancy. For this group of diabetes, the sign of diabetes could disappear after the delivery, but there are high chances of developing Type II diabetes after about five years. If your blood glucose level appears somewhat higher than normal value (for example, 125mg/dl in fasting state and 175 mg/dl after a meal), you are in a group called impaired glucose tolerance group. If this type of person does not control his/her abnormal glucose level through dietary methods, there is a high chance of developing Type II diabetes. [ Distribution & Expense of Diabetic Patients ] There are about 16 million diabetic patients in the United States, which averages to one in every 20 persons. About half of those 16 million people don't even know that they have diabetes. About 80,000 new diabetic patients are diagnosed every year, which equates to 2,200 new patients every day. The total expense to treat diabetes in the United States resulted in $92 billion dollars, and the indirect expenses which includes calling-in-sick and early retirement was estimated to $47 billion dollars. About 170,000 people die of diabetes-related illnesses each year. There were 56,000 kidney dialysis patients and 57,000 people who had foot amputation surgery in the last year. [ History of Diabetes ] As recorded in Egyptian history 1,500 BC, diabetes has at least 3,500 years of history. The invention of insulin in 1920 led us to the world of controlling diabetes. We still cannot treat diabetes. We can only control it with/without the help of medications. The invention of insulin happened only 80 years ago. If you were born before that time, diabetes was known as a deadly disease, such as AIDS and cancer today. An Upjohn company first marketed oral diabetes medication in 1950. We are fortunate to have all these inventions by reflecting on the history of diabetes. [ Meaning of "Controlling" ] As a result of technology and research, we can now manage most of the diseases that we face every day. For example, when you have a broken arm, you can put it in a cast. When you have pneumonia, you can be placed on antibiotics to eradicate bad bacteria. Unfortunately, there is no cure for diabetes. All we can do is try to keep our glucose levels as close to normal as possible. A healthy person can keep normal glucose levels without any extra effort; whereas, the diabetic patient requires additional means to maintain control over their glucose levels. [ Why should we control diabetes? ] Controlling diabetes is not easy, but the benefits of doing so can be felt in just a few days. If your sugar level is above the normal range, you will feel tired, thirsty, sick and very uncomfortable. For a person who controls his/her diabetes very well, he/she lives longer with a healthier body. The only way to control diabetes well is to prevent serious complications in the future. If your diabetes is well controlled, there is no worry for severe sickness. We have to control diabetes ourselves and not allow the disease to control us. Diabetes control is much easier when we control it early and control it well.