Diabetes risk

The risk of becoming diabetic is something which an increasing number of people around the world are facing as the medical condition is now more commonplace than ever before. But in which areas of society is the diabetes risk highest and which groups of society need to be more aware of the symptoms of diabetes?

What is diabetes?

In simple terms, depending upon which type of diabetes we are talking about, diabetes is either the body’s inability to produce enough insulin to ingest large levels of glucose in the blood or the inability of various cells and organs in the body to ingest insulin which will then increase the levels of glucose in the blood stream. An accumulation of glucose in the blood can lead to a variety of different medical conditions such as heart attack, nerve problems and other serious ailments.

Type I diabetes

Type I diabetes is simply the body’s failure to produce enough natural insulin which therefore reduces the amount of glucose which the body ingests from the bloodstream leading to potential problems.

Type II diabetes

Type II diabetes is the more common diabetes condition and is often brought on by obesity and lack of exercise. In simple terms it is the body’s inability to ingest glucose from the bloodstream as cells and organs become insulin resistant.

Gestational diabetes

A number of pregnant ladies have been known to suffer from gestational diabetes which can result in high glucose levels during pregnancy. In many cases the diabetes will disappear after the pregnancy is over but in some cases it can develop into type II diabetes.

Are you at risk of diabetes?

While there are two main types of diabetes, commonly referred to type I diabetes and type II diabetes, they are very different and the risk of developing either of these is also very different.

Type I diabetes

Diabetes type I is hereditary and is more common among fair skinned people around the world. If a close family member has ever been diagnosed with type I diabetes then there is the potential for you to develop this condition rather than type II diabetes. There are various tests for type I diabetes which can confirm the chances of suffering from this in later life.

It is interesting to know that many people around the world can experience symptoms of diabetes type I but often it may take some form of hereditary gene to actually trigger the condition. There is some debate as to how exactly diabetes type I is contracted but there is no doubt this is less of a lifestyle condition than diabetes type II.

Type II diabetes

There is no doubt that type II diabetes is by far and away the most common form of the medical condition and is causing significant concern amongst health organisations around the world. While some doctors believe the condition can be hereditary, but unlike type I diabetes, there are a number of other ways in which you can develop the condition.

Some of the main factors which can assist with the development of type II diabetes include:-

Obesity

There’s no doubt that obesity is one of the main causes of type II diabetes in the world and the more obese people the more likelihood this epidemic will continue to grow. Many people are acutely aware that their daily exercise routine and their daily eating habits can have an immense impact upon their later years of life and see them develop type II diabetes – which can have fatal consequences.

Hypertension

Hypertension is also a major factor which can contribute to the onset of type II diabetes and in the modern-day world high tension and high stress levels it is no surprise to see an increase in the number of people suffering from the condition.

High cholesterol

High cholesterol can bring on symptoms of type II diabetes and is again under the “lifestyle” banner, which can cause major problems medically in later life. While there has been a general improvement in the appreciation of the damage which high cholesterol can do to the body, there is no doubt that many people are still totally unaware of the problems they may be storing up for themselves in the future.

Aging

Historically instances of diabetes have increased dramatically in older members of the population where perhaps the body’s natural functions are sometimes impacted. However, there is no doubt that instances of diabetes in younger adults and young children have increased dramatically over the last 20 or 30 years.

High-fat diets

High-fat diets are also known to be a major contributing factor to the onset of type II diabetes and yet again are related to so-called “lifestyle illnesses”. While we all appreciate we need to eat healthy and exercise, the truth is that the vast majority of us will at some stage suffer from a lack of exercise and an unhealthy diet. If this lifestyle is extended over years, this will increase the likelihood of developing type II diabetes in later years.

Chronic pancreatitis

It will come as no surprise to learn that chronic pancreatitis can also speed up the possible onset of type II diabetes due to the fact that insulin is produced by the pancreas. In simple terms the pancreas is there to regulate the level of glucose in the blood by increasing or reducing levels of insulin which are pumped around the body.

Medical drugs

It has been discovered that a number of drugs used in the medical profession can increase the likelihood of developing type II diabetes. These risks are well known within the health sector and you should be made aware of potential problems if you come across such medication.

Signs and symptoms of type II diabetes

The symptoms for type II diabetes are very different to that for type I diabetes and include:-

Chronic fatigue and a generally lackluster lifestyle

The production of excessive urine

The intake of excessive fluids and a constant thirst

Blurred vision

Unexplained weight loss

Excessive bowel movements

These are just a small number of symptoms which can signal the potential onset of type II diabetes and which should begin to sound alarm bells if you are suffering from more than one of these ailments at any one time. While many of the above conditions can be related to other medical conditions, and ultimately occur on their own, you still need to be aware of the potential dangers.

Gestational diabetes

As we mentioned above, gestational diabetes is a condition which can occur in pregnancy and then often disappear once the pregnancy is over. However, there are various areas of the social spectrum more at risk of gestational diabetes during pregnancy than others which include:-

Obesity

It is interesting to see that obesity is yet again a condition which can encourage the onset of diabetes although in this case it is gestational diabetes. There is a very strong link between your lifestyle, your body weight and your diet.

History of diabetes

As with type I and type II diabetes if your family has a history of diabetes then there is a chance that you could develop the condition during pregnancy.

Previous pregnancy

There is some debate as to whether those having given birth to large child in the past have more chance of encountering gestational diabetes than others. However, some medical experts believe this is one factor which can increase your chances of developing the condition.

Babies with birth defects

A stillborn baby or a baby with birth defects is seen by many as another factor which may count towards the potential development of gestational diabetes. Yet again there is some debate as to the validity of this claim but it is one factor which should be taken into consideration.

Aged over 25

There would appear to be a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes in ladies who are pregnant and aged over 25. However, as with other types of diabetes we are seeing more and more occurrences in younger people.

Reducing the risk of developing diabetes

After reading the above information it may be easy to fall into the trap of assuming that everybody in the world stands a better than average chance of developing diabetes. The truth is that type I diabetes is often passed down from generation to generation and is generally controlled with medical treatment. However, there is no doubt that type II diabetes is a very different situation!

As more and more people around the world live more hectic and more stressful lifestyles this is leading to perfect conditions for the development of type II diabetes. When you also consider the number of obese people in the world and the lack of exercise and unhealthy diets it is not difficult to see why we have seen an explosion in type II diabetes over the last 20 or 30 years. The problem is that many believe the explosion in occurrences of type II diabetes is only just the tip of the iceberg and those who eat unhealthily, do not exercise regularly and are generally unfit are storing up major problems for themselves in the future.

We all need to appreciate our dietary habits, the body’s need for exercise and basically take more care of ourselves. Stressful and pressurised lifestyles together with unhealthy diets and a lack of exercise could prove fatal for many people in due course. Eat healthy, take exercise and look after yourself!

Which age groups are at risk?

While type I diabetes is passed from generation to generation and can basically occur at any time the situation is very different for type II diabetes. Historically the vast majority of those suffering from type II diabetes tended to be aged 55 and over although there were a number of occurrences in those aged 40 and over. However, over the last 20 or 30 years we have seen a significant change in the risk profile of those who could potentially develop type II diabetes.

We have seen younger and younger people, some teenagers, developing type II diabetes simply because of their lifestyles and the fact that many are often overweight. This is a worrying trend which has seen governments and health organisations around the world significantly increase their investments into advertising and awareness campaigns in the knowledge that diabetes sufferers of the future will place more and more pressure on health budgets.

Conclusion

While there are a number of different situations and lifestyle habits which will put you more at risk of developing type I and type II diabetes there is no doubt that obesity is in the eyes of many doctors the main problem. The explosion in the number of obese people around the world will, believe many doctors, lead to a massive increase in the number of diabetes type II sufferers especially. Even though this particular type of diabetes, as with diabetes type I and gestational diabetes, can be controlled with medicines it does place more pressure upon the body and can lead to other complications.

One other factor which is becoming more and more evident as the years go by is the increased number of sufferers under the age of 40 and indeed the ever increasing number of children suffering from diabetes especially. While it has to be said that the various awareness campaigns by authorities around the world are beginning to hit home there is still a need to keep up these campaigns and ensure the message gets through.

If you take a look at the simple symptoms of diabetes, a number of these factors will occur on a regular basis for many people. However, when you take a number of these different factors together they can and should begin to sound alarm bells and prompt you to take medical advice. Diabetes is a condition which can quite easily be controlled but if left unattended and undiagnosed it can have disastrous and potentially fatal consequences.

The number of diabetes sufferers in the world has increased dramatically of late and is set to increase even further in the months and years to come.

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