Insulin-Dependent Diabetes :: Health Medicine Essays

Insulin-Dependent Diabetes******REMINDER****** The information contained in the Rare Disease Database is provided for educational purposes only. It should not be utilize for diagnostic or intervention purposes. If you wish to obtain more information about this disorder, please contact your personalphysician and/or the agencies listed in the Resources particle of thisreport.Insulin- aquiline Diabetes is a disorder in which the body does notproduce enough insulin and is, therefore, unable to convert nutrients into the energy necessary for daily activity. The disorder affects females and males approximately equally. Although the causes of insulin-dependent diabetes are not known, genetic factors seem to play a role. Normally, sugars and starches (carbohydrates) in the foods we eat areprocessed by digestive juices into glucose. Glucose circulates inthe blood as a major energy source for body functions. Its use isregulated primarily by insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas gland(located behind the stomach). In the person with diabetes, there isa malfunction in the production of insulin. There are two main typesof diabetes Type I or Insulin-Dependent and Type II or Noninsulin-Dependent. The insulin-dependent type of diabetes generally has onset duringchildhood or adolescence, though it can occur at any age. Becausethe pancreas supplies little or no insulin in this disease, dailyinjections of the hormone and a controlled diet are necessary toregulate blood sugar levels. Insulin is generally effective inpreventing glucose buildup, but it is a treatment and not a cure fordiabetes. The onset of Insulin-Dependent Diabetes begins with frequenturination, extreme thirst, constant hunger, and unexplained weightloss. Because people with Type I Diabetes lack sufficient insulin,glucose accumulates in the blood to levels too high for the kidneys t oexcrete. In an effort to remove the excess sugar, the kidneys excrete