Causes of Diabetes
Researchers are still trying to figure out the exact causes of diabetes. What they do know is what occurs in human blood cells that causes diabetes, and what types of people are most likely to develop diabetes.
Roughly ten percent of people with diabetes have what is known as type 1 diabetes. This type of diabetes usually occurs in people under the age of thirty and often in children. It is caused when the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas are attacked by the body’s immune system. The immune system, which is supposed to protect the body from disease, malfunctions and becomes the cause of disease. This failure of the body to produce insulin results in high levels of blood sugar (glucose) in the blood.
The causes of diabetes differ for type 2 diabetes, which most often occurs in adults over the age of 45. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the cells are not properly using the insulin they have. This is usually because of the fat surrounding the cell.
Obesity and inactivity can trigger type 2 diabetes. So can hypertension, high cholesterol, and the aging process. In many seniors, the cells have simply become more resistant to insulin. The causes can also be genetic. You are more apt to develop Type 2 diabetes if there is a history of it in your family. It also occurs more frequently in Afro-Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, Asians, and Native Americans.
Although everyone with diabetes can live a healthy life with proper diet, medication and exercise, the causes of diabetes can sometimes be out of one’s control. For instance, some medications used to treat other diseases can trigger diabetes. Some of these can include corticosteroids, growth hormone, and estrogen.
Pancreatic disease is also a cause of diabetes, as are increased counter-regulatory hormones associated with acute diseases, such as heart attack, stroke, renal insufficiency, hepatitis, congestive heart failure and others.
Trauma to the body, certain genetic syndromes, sickle cell anemia, and all types of different infections are conditions which for various reasons can be causes of diabetes.
No matter what the cause, diabetes cannot be cured. You can, however, get good control of the disease. People with type 1 diabetes usually need to control their disease with insulin injections, watch their diet and monitor their glucose level. People with type 2 diabetes can sometimes get good control with diet and exercise alone, especially in cases that are borderline. More often, however, treatment is a combination of oral medications, a healthy diet and exercise.