What tests are used to diagnose diabetes? What are the signs and symptoms of diabetes?
Nov 11, 2009 | Signs Symptoms of Diabetes
Diagnosis and treatment
Many people are unaware that they have diabetes. In the late 20th century, for example, it was estimated that more than 5 million of the 15.7 million American cases were undiagnosed. The disease is usually discovered when there are typical symptoms and a clearly high blood sugar level, as defined by a daytime level greater than 200 milligrams perdecilitre or a fasting level greater than 140 milligrams per decilitre. Occasionally a moredetailed oral glucose tolerance test is required for accurate diagnosis.
Before the isolation of insulin in the 1920s, most patients diedwithin a short time after onset. Untreated diabetes leads to ketoacidosis, the accumulation of ketones (products of fat breakdown) and acid in the blood. Continued buildup of the toxic products of disordered carbohydrate and fat metabolism result in nausea and vomiting, and eventually thepatient goes into a diabetic coma.
Treatment aimed at controlling diabetes is highly successful. All patients are put on restrictive diets designed to help them reach and maintain normal body weight and to limit their intake of sugars and fats. Frequently they are encouraged to exercise regularly, which enhances the movement of glucose into muscle cells and blunts the rise in blood glucose that follows carbohydrate ingestion. Diabetics who are unable to produce insulin in their bodies receive regular injections of the hormone, often customized according to their individual and variable requirements. In addition to conventional beef-pork insulin—which is the pancreatic extract of pigs and cattle—human insulin, based on recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) technology, became available for use in the 1980s.
Research into other areas of insulin delivery include pancreas transplantation and implantable mechanical insulin infusion systems. Medications in the form of oral hypoglycemic (blood-sugar-lowering) agents are also available.
The objective of all forms of treatment of diabetes is to keep the level of blood sugar within normal limits and thus reduce the complications, primarily cardiovascular, that account for most diabetes-related deaths. Other serious complications include a condition known as diabetic retinopathy (retinal changes that can lead to blindness), kidney disease, and frequent infection.
symptoms:
Insulin is a hormone secreted by beta cells, which are located within clusters of cells in the pancreas called the islets of Langerhans. Insulin’s role in thebody is to trigger cells to take up the carbohydrate glucose sothat the cells can use this energy-yielding sugar. Persons with diabetes are impaired in the ability to metabolize glucose, and as a result the levels of glucose in the blood increase (a condition called hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar). As glucose accumulates in the blood, excess levels of this sugar are excreted in the urine. Because of greater amounts of glucose in the urine, more water is excreted with it, causing an increase in urinary volume and frequency of urination as well as thirst. (The name diabetes mellitus refers to these symptoms: diabetes, from the Greek diabainein, meaning “to pass through,” describes the copious urination, and mellitus, from the Latin meaning “sweetened with honey,” refers to sugar in the urine.) Other symptoms of diabetes include itching, hunger, weight loss, and weakness.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Diagnosis and treatment
Many people are unaware that they have diabetes. In the late 20th century, for example, it was estimated that more than 5 million of the 15.7 million American cases were undiagnosed. The disease is usually discovered when there are typical symptoms and a clearly high blood sugar level, as defined by a daytime level greater than 200 milligrams perdecilitre or a fasting level greater than 140 milligrams per decilitre. Occasionally a moredetailed oral glucose tolerance test is required for accurate diagnosis.
Before the isolation of insulin in the 1920s, most patients diedwithin a short time after onset. Untreated diabetes leads to ketoacidosis, the accumulation of ketones (products of fat breakdown) and acid in the blood. Continued buildup of the toxic products of disordered carbohydrate and fat metabolism result in nausea and vomiting, and eventually thepatient goes into a diabetic coma.
Treatment aimed at controlling diabetes is highly successful. All patients are put on restrictive diets designed to help them reach and maintain normal body weight and to limit their intake of sugars and fats. Frequently they are encouraged to exercise regularly, which enhances the movement of glucose into muscle cells and blunts the rise in blood glucose that follows carbohydrate ingestion. Diabetics who are unable to produce insulin in their bodies receive regular injections of the hormone, often customized according to their individual and variable requirements. In addition to conventional beef-pork insulin—which is the pancreatic extract of pigs and cattle—human insulin, based on recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) technology, became available for use in the 1980s.
Research into other areas of insulin delivery include pancreas transplantation and implantable mechanical insulin infusion systems. Medications in the form of oral hypoglycemic (blood-sugar-lowering) agents are also available.
The objective of all forms of treatment of diabetes is to keep the level of blood sugar within normal limits and thus reduce the complications, primarily cardiovascular, that account for most diabetes-related deaths. Other serious complications include a condition known as diabetic retinopathy (retinal changes that can lead to blindness), kidney disease, and frequent infection.
symptoms:
Insulin is a hormone secreted by beta cells, which are located within clusters of cells in the pancreas called the islets of Langerhans. Insulin’s role in thebody is to trigger cells to take up the carbohydrate glucose sothat the cells can use this energy-yielding sugar. Persons with diabetes are impaired in the ability to metabolize glucose, and as a result the levels of glucose in the blood increase (a condition called hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar). As glucose accumulates in the blood, excess levels of this sugar are excreted in the urine. Because of greater amounts of glucose in the urine, more water is excreted with it, causing an increase in urinary volume and frequency of urination as well as thirst. (The name diabetes mellitus refers to these symptoms: diabetes, from the Greek diabainein, meaning “to pass through,” describes the copious urination, and mellitus, from the Latin meaning “sweetened with honey,” refers to sugar in the urine.) Other symptoms of diabetes include itching, hunger, weight loss, and weakness.
References :
November 11th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
bool sugar test . if you want a herbal cure goto http://www.ayurvediccure.com
if allopathy then to http://www.webmd.com
yu’ll find every thing there
References :
November 11th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Blood gulcose level test is used to diagnose diabetes, this can be done by doing a simple finger prick. If this test is high then further blood tests are taken called gulcose tolerance test. Where you are given gulcose to drink and blood tests at different times to see if your body is processing the gulcose correctly. A major sign of diabetes is thirst. Go to yahoo seach and type in signs and symptoms of diabetes and you will get a list
References :
November 11th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
When you go to the doctor to get checked the will do what is called a glucose tollerance test. Basically they give you a shit load of sugar and see if your pancrease stops producing insulin. Sympoms are lightheadedness. constant thirst. increased or decreased appitite. Most diabetics get bruised pretty easy too.
References :
My mother is diabetic
November 11th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
The signs and symptoms of diabetes where it warrents further testing is by remebering the poly’s: polyuria (needing to pee frequently), polydipsia (the need to drink frequently because your thirsty all the time), polyphasia (constantly wanting to eat). if you have all three you must seek medical attention for further testing. There is a blood test that is used which is called A1C which detects your blood sugar levels for the past 3 months and will tell a physician if your blood sugar has been high or low. The normal blood sugar is between 60-110 and you can monitor your own blood sugar by obtaining a blood glucose monitor which is small compact and you can take anywhere, they can be bought at any pharmacy.
References :
November 11th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
A glucose blood test will be done…this can either last for 3 or 5 hours, depending on the doctor’s orders. You’ll have to go on a fast, usually for 12 hours prior to the test, meaning you can’t eat anything, and can only drink water. Once your at the lab they’ll draw blood first, then give you this orange glucose drink (it taste like Minute Maid to me). You have to drink it within 5 minutes. Then, after 30 minutes, they’ll take another blood sample, then you’ll have to drink some more of that stuff, and thirty minutes later, more blood drawn. This continues until your time is up.
As far as symptoms go, I don’t remember all of them, but here’s a few off hand:
Urinating frequently.
Becoming extremely fatigue and lethargic after eating carbs.
Getting hungry really fast…where one moment you don’t really feel hungry to the next you feel like your starving to death.
Severe symptoms:
Vision impairments or loss
Kidney failure.
Hope this helps!
-Pegasus
References :
November 11th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Diabetes= excessive thirst not sustained by drinking=excessive urination of almost water looking wee. weight lose despite hunger. Classic signs of diabetes. watch your friends for hypoglycemia. too low sugar. when you cannot wake a person up
References :
been in the health industry for 20 years.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
i am type 1 and found out i was type 1 when i was 15 i had a blood test done, i felt tired i was drinking alot eating alot weeing a alot loosing alot of weight i had really bad thrush and my lips and mouth was always dry – i was really dehydrated all the time.
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