About Blood Sugar Disorders
With an aging population and a trend toward stress-filled, inactive lifestyles and calorie-packed diets, the number of people within the United States suffering from blood sugar disorders is expected to rise. Normal blood sugar levels are 70 to 110 milligrams per deciliter. However, people with blood sugar disorders have levels outside these limits. These blood disorders are the result of the body's inability to produce or properly utilize insulin.
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Diabetes
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Diabetes, a metabolic disease in which the body cannot adequately produce or manage insulin, affects roughly 17 million people in the United States. There are four types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2, Gestational and Pre-Diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder in which the body does not produce insulin, the chemical used to transport glucose into waiting cells. Type 2 diabetes, the most prevalent form, occurs in people whose bodies cannot properly use insulin. Gestational diabetes is a pregnancy-induced condition in which expectant women cannot metabolize sugar. Consequently, 5 to 10 percent of women who have gestational diabetes will form Type 2 diabetes at some point following pregnancy. Pre-diabetes is not a diabetic condition, although it is generally a term used to describe people at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Symptoms of each of these conditions include frequent urination, excessive thirst, irritability, hunger, fatigue and blurry vision.
Hyperglycemia
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Diabetic patients are sometimes classified as having hyperglycemia, a condition in which the body produces too much glucose at levels measuring 90 to 130 milligrams per deciliter. This occurs because the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to help transport glucose into the cell. Additionally, hyperglycemia can occur as a result of the cells simply lacking enough receptors to receive otherwise normal amounts insulin. Patients literally feel starved because they are not getting the glucose they need in order to function. Aside from constant feelings of hunger and thirst, patients might experience swelling in the limbs, loss of visual acuity, increased infections, depression and confusion.
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Hypoglycemia
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Conversely, abnormally low levels of sugar in the blood is called hypoglycemia, and it is caused by an overproduction of insulin as the body tries to push glucose into cells. Excess glucose is then diverted to the liver or stored as body fat. Most people who suffer hypoglycemia are also diabetic, and the condition rarely affects otherwise healthy individuals. When blood sugar levels dip below 60 milligrams per deciliter, the body responds by releasing epinephrine into the blood stream. This reaction can cause headache, tremors, quickened heart rate and irritability.
Causes
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Blood sugar disorders can be caused by many things. Heredity plays a big part in those who develop Type 1 diabetes. However, Type 2 diabetes, hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia are more closely tied to an unhealthy lifestyle. Making poor food choices, not getting enough exercise, high blood pressure and too much stress are definite precursors for developing these blood sugar disorders.
Diagnoses
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Doctors can diagnose blood sugar disorders by taking a complete medical history of the patient, performing a physical evaluation and by ordering simple blood and urine tests. In a patient known to have diabetes, testing for a hypoglycemic reaction can usually be done based on the symptoms described by the patient or by taking a blood sample at the onset of the symptoms.
Treatments
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Diabetics with high blood sugar must check their blood periodically throughout the day. If their blood sugar is too high, they must take an insulin injection to help move the excess glucose into the cells. To help manage their disease, their physician will advise them to drink more water, exercise frequently and make healthy food choices. A person suffering from hypoglycemia can relieve his symptoms from ingesting a glucose tablet or by consuming food in which the glucose is readily available, such as a glass of fruit juice. Those with extreme hypoglycemia might also carry a glucagon injection, which stimulates the liver to produce a large amount of glucose and deliver it to body cells.
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