When we hear the illness diabetes, regular insulin injections is the means of treatment that comes to our mind. Diabetes is a condition where the body has a limited supply of insulin. There are two types of diabetes that differ in the reason for this lack of insulin.

Just what is the role of insulin in our body and what is the cause of this increasingly common disease?

Why we need insulin

Insulin is a hormone produced by the body’s pancreas that is extremely necessary in making sure the cells get a sufficient supply of glucose. Glucose is what our cells need to carry out their tasks. It acts like an ‘energy capsule’ that enables us to carry out our tasks throughout the day.

Insulin is like the key that opens the cells to allow glucose to enter. Without insulin, the cells are deprived of glucose. The end result is malnourished cells and a bloodstream that has a high concentration of sugar.

 What happens in a diabetic patient?

In a Type 1 diabetic patient, the pancreas produces too little insulin which in effect results in the cells not having enough glucose. In the Type 2 diabetes, your body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin.

What are some common symptoms?

Both types usually show the same symptoms. It is important that these symptoms are identified at an early stage to make sure that treatment can be administered quickly. If things go too far, very serious health problems will be faced. Here are some of the most common symptoms.

• Increased hunger. Since your body isn’t getting the right amount of insulin, your cells will not feel nourished. As a result, you’ll still feel hungry even after eating a full meal. In fact, hunger will seem to come after you’ve eaten.
• Weight loss. Since your body isn’t able to use glucose, it makes use of alternatives stored in your fat. You may be eating a lot but still find that you’re loosing weight.
• Extreme fatigue. This is a result of the low glucose in your cells. You will get tired easily no matter how much food you eat.
• Blurred vision. This comes as a result of the excess glucose in your blood. Fluid is sucked from the lenses. In serious cases, this can result in blindness
• Increased thirst and urination. With the excess glucose in your blood stream, fluid is pulled from your tissue leaving you thirsty. You may find it hard to quench your thirst and will urinate more than often.

When these symptoms are left unattended, there could be extremely serious and even life threatening conditions that may arise. For example, as your blood gets filled with glucose, this may destroy the vessels walls. When this happens to the vessels in your heart, heart attacks and other heart problems may occur.

There can also be kidney complications when the filtering system is affected. This may become so serious that dialysis or even transplant is required.

Diabetes indeed is something that you should be concerned of. If you experience any of the mentioned symptoms, you ought to see a physician as soon as possible.

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