Diabetes: This Ailment is dangerous to health

Diabetes, often referred to by doctors as diabetes mellitus, describes a group of metabolic diseases in which the person has high blood glucose (blood sugar), either because insulin production is inadequate, or because the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin, or both. Patients with high blood sugar will typically experience polyuria (frequent urination), they will become increasingly thirsty (polydipsia) and hungry (polyphagia).

Fast facts on diabetes

Here are some key points about diabetes. More detail and supporting information is in the main article.

• Diabetes is a long-term condition that causes high blood sugar levels.
• In 2013 it was estimated that over 382 million people throughout the world had diabetes (Williams textbook of endocrinology).
• Type 1 Diabetes – the body does not produce insulin. Approximately 10% of all diabetes cases are type 1.
• Type 2 Diabetes – the body does not produce enough insulin for proper function. Approximately 90% of all cases of diabetes worldwide are of this type.
• Gestational Diabetes – this type affects females during pregnancy.
• The most common diabetes symptoms include frequent urination, intense thirst and hunger, weight gain, unusual weight loss, fatigue, cuts and bruises that do not heal, male sexual dysfunction, numbness and tingling in hands and feet.
• If you have Type 1 and follow a healthy eating plan, do adequate exercise, and take insulin, you can lead a normal life.
• Type 2 patients need to eat healthily, be physically active, and test their blood glucose. They may also need to take oral medication, and/or insulin to control blood glucose levels.
• As the risk of cardiovascular disease is much higher for a diabetic, it is crucial that blood pressure and cholesterol levels are monitored regularly.
• As smoking might have a serious effect on cardiovascular health, diabetics should stop smoking.
• Hypoglycemia – low blood glucose – can have a bad effect on the patient. Hyperglycemia – when blood glucose is too high – can also have a bad effect on the patient.

There are three types of diabetes:

1) Type 1 diabetes

The body does not produce insulin. Some people may refer to this type as insulin-dependent diabetes, juvenile diabetes, orearly-onset diabetes. People usually develop type 1 diabetes before their 40th year, often in early adulthood or teenage years.

Type 1 diabetes is nowhere near as common as type 2 diabetes. Approximately 10% of all diabetes cases are type 1.

Patients with type 1 diabetes will need to take insulin injections for the rest of their life. They must also ensure proper blood-glucose levels by carrying out regular blood tests and following a special diet.

2) Type 2 diabetes

The body does not produce enough insulin for proper function, or the cells in the body do not react to insulin (insulin resistance).

Approximately 90% of all cases of diabetes worldwide are type 2.

Measuring the glucose level in blood

Some people may be able to control their type 2 diabetes symptoms by losing weight, following a healthy diet, doing plenty of exercise, and monitoring their blood glucose levels. However, type 2 diabetes is typically a progressive disease – it gradually gets worse – and the patient will probably end up have to take insulin, usually in tablet form.

Overweight and obese people have a much higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those with a healthy body weight. People with a lot of visceral fat, also known as central obesity, belly fat, or abdominal obesity, are especially at risk. Being overweight/obese causes the body to release chemicals that can destabilize the body’s cardiovascular and metabolic systems.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases And Their Symptoms

Sexually Transmitted Disease: Chlamydia

• Discharge from the penis in men
• Vaginal discharge in women
• Abdominal pain in women
• Painful urination
• Frequent urination

The most common STD in the society today, which is caused by organisms called Chlamydia trachomatis. This infection is easily spread because it often causes no symptoms and may be unknowingly passed to sexual partners. Up to one in two men and one in four women with Chlamydia don’t have any symptoms.

When symptoms occur, men may have small amounts of clear or cloudy discharge from the tip of the penis and painful urination within three weeks after becoming infected. Women may have a vaginal discharge, irregular periods, abdominal pain with fever and painful sexual intercourse.

If untreated, chlamydial infections can damage the delicate fallopian tubes, causing pelvic inflammatory disease or infertility, and increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy. Chlamydial may be passed along from the mother to her infant during childbirth, causing a minor eye infection or pneumonia in the infant.

Both men and women, particularly in the tropics may suffer from lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) as a result of the chlamydial infection. This condition causes blisters or ulcers on the genital and causes lymph nodes in the groin to swell. The blisters may form abscesses. There are several different tests your doctor can use to check for Chlamydia. He or she will probably take a sample from the cervix in women. Your doctor may also check for gonorrhea below, another STD. Some people with chlamydial also have gonorrhea.

Oral antibiotics, such as doxycycline or erythromycin, should be taken by both partners if Chlamydia is diagnosed in either partner. Women with severe infections may require hospitalization, intravenous antibiotics and analgesic medicine.

Sexually Transmitted Disease: Genital Herpes

• Painful sores and blisters on the genitals

This infection is caused by the herpes simplex virus, which is also responsible for cold sores. It results in painful sores and blisters on the genitals that disappear and then return. When a rash appears, it may be accompanied by headache, fever, enlarged lymph nodes in the groin and a feeling of being sick.

Unfortunately, you may be infectious even when no blisters or sores are visible or when you don’t have symptoms. Women with genital herpes should have Pap smears every year or two to check for cervical cancer. The risk of cervical cancer may be increased by genital herpes.

 

Sexually Transmitted Disease: Genital Warts

• Small wart-like bumps on the genitals or anal region

Warts are caused by viruses and can appear anywhere on the body. Those that show up in the genital area are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and are known as genital, or venereal, warts.

They may form on the penis, the labia, vaginal walls or cervix or around the anal region. They aren’t always visible. The virus that causes genital warts can be easily spread through sexual contact. Condoms don’t always prevent infection because they may not cover all affected areas. HPV is now recognized as a significant risk factor in cervical cancer and in cancer of the penis.

Sexually Transmitted Disease: Gonorrhea

• Greenish-yellow discharge from the penis or vagina
• Burning when urinating

Also called the “clap” or “drip”, gonorrhea is caused by a bacterial infection carried by semen and vaginal fluids. Some people have no symptoms, which can delay diagnosis. Women suffer the most serious consequences of untreated disease – they can end up with pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility or a greater risk of ectopic pregnancy.

After a culture from the affected site confirms the diagnosis, oral or injectable antibiotics cure the infection in most cases.

Sexually Transmitted Disease: Syphilis

• A single, painless sore (Chancre) on genitals during the first stage of infection
• Headache
• Fever
• Aches and chills
• Swollen lymph nodes

Syphilis is a bacterial disease that has existed for centuries, but treatment has only been available for the past 50 years. Syphilis has three distinct stages in an untreated person. During the first stage, a painless, open sore, called a chancre, appear on the genitals within a few weeks after infection. Usually just one shows up, although more are possible.

Within six weeks, fever, aches, chils, headache, swollen lymph nodes and usually a rash occur.  The rash may look like grayish spots on the skin and may appear inside the mouth as well. Eventually the rash heals, but the bacteria remain active.

The second stage is called the “latent” period. There may not be any symptoms initially. In this stage the person isn’t infectious, but continued damage occurs. Eventually, the victim may develop symptoms of the third stage of syphilis, which can include brain damage, blindness, paralysis and confusion. The blood vessels may become damaged, allowing aneurysm to form in larger vessels, such as the aorta.

Oral or injected antibiotics destroy the bacteria and cure the disease. If the latent stage is suspected, a blood test can help make the diagnosis. The disease can be cured at any stage but damage can’t be reversed. Early treatment is important to reduce later problems.

About 50% of the people treated for syphilis have a reaction to the toxins released by the bacteria when a antibiotic is used. Symptoms of this reaction, which occur two to seven hours after receiving the antibiotic, include headache, fever, chills, aches, rapid heartbeat and slightly lowered blood pressure.

Sexually Transmitted Disease: Trichomoniasis

• Greenish-yellow, frothy vaginal discharge
• Painful urination
• Vaginal Itching and irritation

Trichomoniasis is caused by small protozoa called Trichomonas vaginalis.  These organisms are especially irritating to the moist membranes of the vagina. Women are the most often affected by this condition, although men can become infected and pass Trichomonas to women through sexual contact. Men frequently have no symptoms and may not know they’re infected until their partners need treatment.

Your doctor can take a sample of vaginal secretions and examine it for Trichomonas. Trichomoniasis is also sometimes diagnosed by a Pap smear.

Both partners need to be treated.

Sexually Transmitted Disease: Urethral Infection

• Discharge from the opening in penis
• Pain and burning sensation during urination

The urethra is the tube through which urine from the bladder passes out of the body. Symptoms of urethral infections, called urethritis, are often less obvious in women. Women may show few, if any, symptoms.

Most urethral infections are sexually related. Chlamydial infection is a common cause, although gonorrhea is also a possible cause. Urethral infections usually aren’t dangerous by themselves, but may lead to scaring and constriction of the urethral if not treated.

Your doctor can take a sample of secretions for a culture or antibody test. These tests can confirm the infection and help your doctor decide which antibiotic to use. If you’re diagnosed with urethritis, tell your partner so he or she can be treated too, even if he or she has no symptoms.