Diabetes Syndrome: A Public Health Concern

He started by saying that the real name is Diabetes mellitus. Diabetes is coined from a Greek word “siphon,” which refers to uncontrollable abundant urine while “Mellitus” is Latin for “honey” or “sweet,” meaning that people with diabetes passes out urine that is sugary. Using the illustration he displayed, he proceeded by saying that there are at least three different types of diabetes, and possibly several more yet unclassified. Type I diabetes is characterized by a lack of insulin production in the body. It is known to proceed in a gradual, subtle way, but with very harmful effects, as it typically manifests in young children and is unrelated to lifestyle. It is sometimes called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes because it is managed using insulin injections or an insulin pump.

On the other hand, Type 2 diabetes can be called non-insulin dependent diabetes although some require insulin to control their blood sugars. It is generally linked to poor health choices, like overeating, lack of exercise, and prolonged stress. It can also be as a result of the body's ineffective use of insulin. It can be managed by diet, exercise and sometimes medication. Gestational diabetes, however, occur during pregnancy. Women with gestational diabetes have unusually high blood glucose levels while pregnant. The symptoms usually dissipate after delivery, but women who have gestational diabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later on. This type can be very harmful to both the mother and the child but tends to clear up or greatly improve after birth.

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Evaluation of the factors associated with the development of Diabetes

At this point, i was more comfortable to hear him out and from his expression, he seems to have all the time. He continued; The factors associated with the development of diabetes are many. The fact of the matter is that if you are overweight, or obese, or have eaten enough sugar to last a lifetime it does not mean you must develop it, neither does it mean that if you are of normal weight or even underweight, or have never tasted sugar in your life you might develop it!. Some individuals have a higher risk of developing diabetes than others. The thrust of this discourse is the elucidation of the factors that have been clearly associated with the development of diabetes. If you have a parent or sibling with diabetes, you also are at increased risk of developing diabetes and much more so if the parent that is diabetic is your mother. This is referred to in medical parlance as family history of diabetes.

There is a strong genetic component in Type 2 diabetes, which is the most common form of diabetes. We get our genes from our parents. If one has already inherited genes that place one at risk of diabetes and one now superimposes an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise and obesity on this, the risk of developing diabetes becomes great indeed. What you eat or drink (talking about your mouth determining your destiny!) goes a long way in increasing or reducing your risk of developing diabetes. Excessive consumption of sweet drinks (fruit juices, energy drinks, soft drinks) increases your risk of developing diabetes because of th excessive sugar load of these drinks. These drinks promote excessive energy (calorie) intake. Drinking water is a much safer alternative! You are actually doing your visitor a favour by giving him water to drink!. Consumption of any of these drinks to “wash down” a meal is akin to taking “slow poison”. For your information, one can of soft drink has TEN teaspoons of sugar!.

Again, he stood up and proceeded, Soft drinks contained a significant amount of refined sugars, which may serve as a source of extra calories. Consumption of fruit juices is associated with increased hazard among women. Intake of a diet rich in vegetables and whole fruits is associated with a reduced risk while the consumption of diet that is westernized has become prevalent with the proliferation of fast food joints, which serve pastries and chicken which reek of oil is associated with increased risk. This type of diet, taken over time coupled with chronic lack of exercise leads to obesity, which is associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes. Development of gestational diabetes (diabetes that occurs during pregnancy but which disappears after deliver) increases the risk of developing a more permanent type of diabetes in later years especially if the woman put on excessive weight.

Similarly, a woman who has given birth to a baby delivered more than 4 kg (10 1b) or one that has delivered more than 5 children is also at risk of developing diabetes. Women who also have a condition referred to as polycystic ovary syndrome, which is associated with disturbances of the menstrual cycle and infertility have increased risk of developing diabetes. People who have high blood pressure (hypertension) also have an increased risk of developing diabetes either as a result of the side effct of some of the drugs used in treating the hypertension, or as part of the spectrum of the disorder responsible for the hypertension. Also, if one has any of the diseases called autoimmune diseases (a condition in which the body’s own defense mechanisms begins to destroy one’s own organs), such a person is at risk of developing type 1 diabetes.

Excessive intake of alcohol also increases the risk of developing diabetes not only because it may damage the organ that produces insulin, which helps in controlling the blood sugar level, but also because it promotes excessive fat accumulation in the abdomen that inhibits the effective working of insulin produced by the body. The risk of developing diabetes also increases as one’s age exceeds 45years. Use of certain drugs can increase one’s risk of developing diabetes. These drug include some used in treating HIV/AIDS, hypertension, epilepsy, asthma; some steroid drug used by body builders and some rat poisons. Then, he told me, Mike, there is a lot to say, my candid advice is that if anyone have any of the stated risk factors, he/she should endeavor to have his/her blood sugar level checked at least once a year, even in the absence of any sign of ill health.