Diabetes

Diabetes (also known as diabetes milletus) is a condition inwhich the amount of glucose in the blood is to high, either because the pancreas doesn't produce any or enough insulin, or because body cells don't properly respond to the insulin[1] If the body cells do not absorb the glucose, the glucose accumulates in the blood ( that is produced. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that enables the body’s cells to absorb glucose.hyperglycemia / high blood sugar), which could lead to ketoacidosis (diabetic coma).[2]

Kinds of diabetes

There are different kinds of diabetes. The most common are:

- Type 1 diabetes: The body does not produce any insulin, and requires the person to inject insulin. [3] Various factors may contribute to type 1 diabetes, including genetics and exposure to certain viruses. Although type 1 diabetes typically appears during adolescence, it can develop at any age.[4]

- Type 2 diabetes: Here, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. [5] This is the most common kind of diabetes and normally appears in later life, although it is becoming more prevalent in children and young people. [6] Although the causes of type 2 diabetes are not fully understood there are many factors that that make developing the condition more likely. These include being overweight or obese, ethnic origin, age and genetic factors.[7]

- Gestational: This occurs during pregnancy, usually 28 weeks or later.[8] It is sometimes known as pregnancy diabetes.

Statistics

- According to the WHO 2,627,000 people in Germany had diabetes in 2000 and this number is expected to grow to 3,771,000 by 2030.[9]

- In America 23.6 million children and adults—7.8% of the population—had diabetes in 2007 according to the National Diabetes fact Sheet 2007.[10]

- In adults, type 1 diabetes accounts for 5% to 10% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.[11]

- The prevalence of diabetes worldwide will grow by nearly 200,000,000 between 2000 and 2030 according to the WHO.[12]

Symptoms and signs

Common symptoms of diabetes are polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirst), polyphagia (increased hunger), weight loss and slow healing of wounds. In type 1 diabetes the symptoms and signs usually appear very quickly and are quite obvious. This is not the case with type 2 diabetes however. People with type 2 diabetes may not notice any symptoms or put them down to age.[13]

Screening

Screening tests vary according to circumstances and local policy, and may be a random plasma glucose test (casual plasma glucose test), a fasting blood glucose (FPG) test or an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).[14]Many healthcare providers recommend universal screening for adults at age 40 or 50, and often periodically thereafter.

Treatment

Unfortunately there is currently no known cure for diabetes. The aim of treatment is to keep the blood glucose level as normal as possible and to control symptoms. Treatments include a healthy diet, exercise and insulin therapy.[15]

- Insulin therapy: Insulin therapy is not necessary in most cases. This form of treatment is used for people who have type 1 diabetes or a developed form of type 2 diabetes.[16]

- Healthy diet and exercise: A healthy diet and regular exercise are vital to prevent and combat diabetes. A carefully planned diet is important for both forms of diabetes along with daily physical activity.[17] The diet most often recommended for diabetics is one that is high in dietary fiber, especially soluble fiber, but low in fat, especially saturated fat, which raises blood cholesterol and can increase the risk of a heart attack.[18]

DELICARDO Foodcards

Because of the prevalence of diabetes, restaurants and other catered for places are normally able to accommodate diabetics.  An uncomplicated way to inform service personal about diabetes when eating out, for example in restaurants or catered events, is through the use of DELICARDO Foodcards, also known as restaurant allergy cards, chef cards or food allergy and intolerance cards. DELICARDO Foodcards make sticking to a diabetic diet easier and have been recognized by the European Center for Allergy Research Foundation (ECARF) as a product that can help give back quality of life despite allergies.

Standard diabetic DELICARDO Foodcards can be found here

To create a personalised diabetic DELICARDO Foodcard click here

Useful Links

The American Diabetes Association
http://www.diabetes.org

Diabetes UK
http://www.diabetes.org.uk

Diabetics Australia
http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/

Diabetes New Zealand
http://www.diabetes.org.nz/

Diabetes Canada
http://www.diabetes.ca/

The World Diabetes Foundation
http://www.worlddiabetesfoundation.org/

The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC)
http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov

HealthLine
http://www.healthline.com/channel/diabetes-mellitus-type-1.html

HealthLine
http://www.healthline.com/health/type-2-diabetes 

[1] http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Introduction-to-diabetes/What_is_diabetes/
[2] http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/hyperglycemia.html
[3] http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/type-1/
[4] http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/type-1-diabetes/DS00329
[5] http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/type-2/
[6] http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Introduction-to-diabetes/What_is_diabetes/
[7] http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Diabetes-type2/Pages/Causes.aspx
[8] http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/gestational/
[9] http://www.who.int/diabetes/facts/world_figures/en/index4.html
[10] http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/pdf/ndfs_2007.pdf
[11] http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Introduction-to-diabetes/Signs_and_symptoms/
[12] http://www.who.int/diabetes/facts/world_figures/en/index.html
[13] http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/diagnosis/
[14] http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Diabetes-type2/Pages/Treatment.aspx
[15] http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/pdf/ndfs_2007.pdf
[16] http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/type-1-diabetes/DS00329/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs
[17] http://www.diabetes.co.uk/treatment.html
[18] http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/eating_ez/#eat