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Diabetes: Learn Your Risk
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by a failure to secrete enough insulin, or, in some cases, the cells do not respond appropriately to the insulin that is produced. Because insulin is needed by the body to convert glucose into energy, these failures result in abnormally high levels of glucose accumulating in the blood. Diabetes may be a result of other conditions such as genetic syndromes, chemicals, drugs, malnutrition, infections, viruses, or other illnesses.
The three main types of diabetes - type 1, type 2, and gestational - are all defined as metabolic disorders that affect the way the body metabolizes, or uses, digested food to make glucose, the main source of fuel for the body.
How do the three main types of diabetes differ?
Although the three main types of diabetes are similar in the build-up of blood glucose due to problems with insulin, there are differences in cause and treatment:
- type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, resulting in no or a low amount of insulin. People with type 1 diabetes must take insulin daily in order to live.
- type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a result of the body's inability to make enough, or to properly use, insulin. Type 2 diabetes may be controlled with diet, exercise, and weight loss, or may require oral medications and/or insulin injections.
- gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes occurs in pregnant women who have not had diagnosed diabetes in the past. It results in the inability to use the insulin that is present and usually disappears after delivery. Gestational diabetes may be controlled with diet, exercise, and attention to weight gain. Women with gestational diabetes may be at higher risk for type 2 diabetes later in life.
To add additional assistance as you work to improve your health, Southeast Missouri Hospital offers Wellness Connection, which provides a number of resources and a wealth of information on preventive health and disease management. It also is the meeting place for a number of educational programs, support groups and health screenings.
HealthPoint Fitness, in Cape Girardeau and Jacskon locations, can help you develop an exercise program custom-designed to meet your needs. A number of classes to keep you motivated to reach your goals are offered there as well.
HealthLines the best way to learn about Southeast Missouri Hospital and its programs. Call 1-800-800-5123, day or night, to find a physician or learn more about classes, screenings and available services.