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Diabetes

Definition:

Diabetes is a life-long disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Diabetes can be caused by too little insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas to control blood sugar), resistance to insulin, or both.

To understand diabetes, it is important to first understand the normal process of food metabolism. Several things happen when food is digested:

People with diabetes have high blood sugar. This is because their pancreas does not make enough insulin or their muscle, fat, and liver cells do not respond to insulin normally, or both.

There are three major types of diabetes:

Diabetes affects more than 20 million Americans. About 54 million Americans have prediabetes. There are many risk factors for diabetes, including:

The American Diabetes Association recommends that all adults over age 45 be screened for diabetes at least every 3 years. A person at high risk should be screened more often.

References:

Standards of medical care in diabetes--2007. Diabetes Care . Jan 2007;30 Suppl 1:S4-S41.

Larsen PR, Kronberg HM, Schlomo M, et al. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology . 10th ed. St. Louis, Mo: WB Saunders; 2003:1427-1468, 1485-1504.

Armstrong C. ADA Releases Standards of Medical Care for Patients with Diabetes. Am Fam Physician . Sept 2006; 74(5); 871-874.

Caballero E. Prediabetes. J Clin Endocrinol Metab . Jan 2007; 92(1); 15A-16A.

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