What is Diabetes?

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In a healthy body, the pancreas secretes a hormone called insulin.  Insulin acts as a key, unlocking cells and allowing glucose to enter and fuel them. In a body with diabetes, the pancreas either stops making insulin entirely, can't make enough insulin, or can't use the insulin it makes. Lack of insulin leads to a build up of glucose in the bloodstream (or "hyperglycemia," high blood glucose).  Without a functioning pancreas, insulin must be obtained from another source -- insulin injections. If the pancreas is still functioning at some level (as in type 2 diabetes), other medications may be taken instead of or in addition to insulin.

There are two main types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes (formerly known as "juvenile diabetes" )occurs when the pancreas stops making insulin all together. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in youth, although sometimes people develop type 1 well into their 30's.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas makes some insulin, but either it can't make enough or the insulin it does make doesn’t work very well. Type 2 diabetes is traditionally associated with older people but these days, more and more youth are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

The Importance of Insulin

Insulin is a vital part of the body’s food use. In a healthy body, the stomach and digestive system break down much of the food we eat into glucose, a type of sugar. This glucose is released into the bloodstream. All the cells of the body use glucose for energy. Insulin acts as a key, unlocking the cells and enabling glucose to enter and provide fuel and energy. In people with diabetes, that key is gone. Without insulin, there is no way for the glucose to travel from the blood into individual cells. Then two things happen: the cells begin to starve, and the level of glucose in the blood rises to unhealthy levels.

Signs & Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of hyperglycemia, or high blood gluocse, include:

Frequent urination	Unusual hunger
Extreme thirst	Exhaustion
Weight loss	Blurry vision
Weakness	Nausea
Dehydration	Fruity-smelling breath
Vomiting	Stomach pain
Unconsciousness/coma	Drowsiness

Signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia, or low blood gluocse, include:

Shakiness	Sweating
Nervousness	Irritability, sadness, or anger
Impatience	Fast heartbeat
Chills and cold sweat	Light-headedness or dizziness
Hunger	Drowsiness
Stubborness or combativeness	Lack of coordination
Blurry vision	Nausea
Tingling or numbness of lips or tongue	Headaches
Strange behavior	Confusion
Personality change	Passing out