Diabetes is a disease in which your body is unable to use the food you eat to make energy.  Just like a car needs gas, your body needs fuel to keep it running.  The most common source of energy for the body is a simple sugar called glucose. 

After food is digested in the stomach and small intestines, glucose enters the blood stream.  In order for glucose to get from the blood to individual cells, it needs a hormone called insulin to be present.  If the insulin isn’t present, or it doesn’t work, or there isn’t enough of it, the glucose is trapped in the blood stream and the level of blood sugar rises.  High levels of blood sugar, called “hyperglycemia”, are the hallmark of diabetes.

Diabetes can cause serious health problems such as heart disease, blindness, kidney disease and kidney failure, and even the need for amputations.  Fortunately, the different kinds of diabetes are treatable.

Common Types of Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes occurs primarily in children and young adults.  It usually comes on suddenly. It is caused by the body’s immune system, which, for reasons that are not well understood, attacks the cells in the pancreas that make insulin.  People with Type 1 Diabetes need injections of insulin for life.  About 5 – 10% of all Diabetes is Type 1.

Type 2 Diabetes occurs most frequently in adults, although rates of Type 2 diabetes amongst young people have risen dramatically.  In type 2 Diabetes, the individual usually becomes resistant to the insulin produced by their body. There are many factors that contribute to the development of Type 2 Diabetes: age, obesity, lack of exercise, and genetics.  Certain ethnic groups have higher rates of Diabetes.  African Americans American Indians, and those of Hispanic origin are at greater risk. 

Gestational Diabetes occurs during pregnancy.  Women become intolerant to their own body’s insulin.  Often, delivery “cures” their diabetes, but those with a history of gestational diabetes are at a higher risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes later in life.

Ontario County Programs

Finger Lakes Health System, Clifton Springs Hospital, and Thompson Health all offer Diabetes education and programming at different times during the year on an as needed basis. For more information, please contact these hospitals directly.

Links and Resources

http://ndep.nih.gov/index.htm
http://www.americandiabetes.com/FactsAboutDiabetes.htm
http://www.dhhs.gov/ under diseases and conditions