What is Diabetes?

Diabetes affects 20.8 million people in the US but 6.2 million don't know they have diabetes.

In order to understand diabetes, it is important to understand how the body works. When a person eats, food is digested by chewing and by stomach acids. Food is broken down into tiny little molecules called glucose (which comes from carbohydrates), amino acids (which come from protein) and lipids (which come from fat). When the food reaches the small intestine, these molecules are absorbed into the blood stream. Once these molecules enter the blood stream, glucose is used for energy, amino acids are used to build muscle and lipids are stored as fat.

A person with diabetes has problems processing glucose from carbohydrates. In order for the body to bring glucose into the cells and use it for energy, the body needs a hormone called insulin. A person with diabetes does not make or use insulin correctly. As a result, glucose can not enter the cells and it stays in the blood. This is called high blood sugar or hyperglycemia.

Diabetes is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Once a person has diabetes, it can not be cured. It can however, be managed, and the person can live a healthy life.

There are two types of diabetes.

Type 1: Only 5% of people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. People with Type 1 diabetes do not make any insulin. This type of diabetes is usually diagnosed during childhood. These people rely on insulin shots or the insulin pump to regulate their blood sugar. Since people with type 1 diabetes can not live without insulin, they will become very sick and be diagnosed with diabetes shortly after it develops.

Type 2: Most people (95%) have type 2 diabetes. People with Type 2 diabetes do not make enough insulin or do not make insulin that the body can use. These people may not take any medication, may take diabetes pills or may take insulin. This type of diabetes is usually caused by overweight, sedentary lifestyle or old age and is accompanied by high blood pressure and high cholesterol. People with type 2 diabetes may not feel sick when their diabetes first develops and it may be several years before the doctor diagnoses them. The best way to find out if you have diabetes is to visit your doctor on a regular basis and have a blood test.

Health information in this article was obtained from the following sources: American Diabetes Association, Joslin Diabetes Center, and National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC).

Last updated August 2006. HIP reviews this article, as all articles in MyHealth, on a quarterly basis.