Carolyn N. Kinder
Before the discovery of insulin in 1921, all people with Type1 diabetes died within a few years after they got the disease.
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Today people with Type1diabetes must take insulin daily, must balance their daily meals, exercise and closely monitor their glucose level. If they do this, they can live long lives.
Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. It is simply out of control. Diabetes is a very complicated disease and it affects almost every major part of the body. Diabetes can cause you to become blind, have heart disease, stokes, kidney failure, amputations, complicated pregnancy and nerve damage. It is important to develop better ways to control diabetes, because control of diabetes reduces the likelihood of these other complications.
Certain factors can increase one's risk of developing diabetes. People who are overweight often end up with some type of diabetes. While lifestyles and environmental factor play a big role, it is not the only factor that some people get diabetes. Several ethnic groups develop diabetes more often than other--African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans seem to be at a greater risk of getting diabetes. The genes that you inherit play an important role as well. Some people have a pre-disposition for the disease.
Type1 diabetes occurs equally among males and females, but is more common in whites than in nonwhite males. Type1 diabetes is rare in most Asian African, and American Indian populations.
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Type 2 Diabetes is more common in older people, especially older women who are overweight and the disease occurs more often among African Americans than Hispanics and American Indians.
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People with diabetes must take on the responsibility of monitoring their diabetes. Part of that responsibility is keeping record of blood sugar levels. If the blood sugar level is too high (hyperglycemia) or too low (hypoglycemia) they must get the proper amount of insulin into the body to control their glucose level. The next section of this unit will discuss insulin delivery devices.