Diabetes

Diabetes is a metabolic disease in which blood glucose level of the body is high also, referred as Diabetes mellitus. The food we eat gets broken down in to glucose and is utilized by the body for energy. Insulin, a hormone made by pancreas, moves the glucose from the bloodstream to the cells so, that they can use glucose as a fuel for growth, repair and energy.

In diabetes, however, body fails to move the glucose or sugar into the cells to be stored for energy and results in high blood sugar levels.

Cause

There are two basic reasons behind this metabolic disease so, diabetes is of two types

Type 1 diabetes – Body makes little insulin or fails to make it at all. This type of diabetes can occur at any age, often in children or young adults.

Type 2 diabetes - Body cells do not respond to insulin though sufficient insulin is present in the body. This type of diabetes cases occur mostly in adulthood.

Symptoms

• Excessive thirst
• Frequent urination
• Fatigue
• Weight loss
• Blurred vision

Long term complications

• Kidney Disease - High blood sugar causes damage to blood vessels in the kidneys and results in a kidney disease called diabetic nephropathy.
• Eye Problems - High blood sugar also leads to cataract, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye which results in the blurred vision. High blood sugar level damages small blood vessels of the retina which can lead to loss of vision called retinopathy. Diabetes also makes the person more likely to have glaucoma. In this disease, pressure gets built up inside the eye, which can decrease blood flow to the retina and the optic nerves and damages them.
• Nerve Damage - Another complication of diabetes is nerve damage called diabetic neuropathy. Diabetic neuropathy can affect nerves in different parts of the body and leads to numbness, tingling or sharp pain in the feet or lower legs.

Blood pressure

Blood pressure is the force of blood which it exerts while circulating through the blood vessels of the body.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a medical condition when blood pressure is elevated.

An average blood pressure that is considered to be normal is 120/80 mmHg. If blood pressure is 140/90 mmHg or above then it is called high blood pressure.

Classification

Basically, hypertension is classified as ‘essential’ or ‘secondary’. Essential hypertension does not have any specific underlying disease and may be cause of unhealthy diet, stress, family history, lifestyle etc. Most of the people have essential hypertension.

Secondary hypertension is less common and occurs as a result of some specific disease like kidney disease, metabolic disorder, thyroid problems, coarctation of aorta which is a birth defect in which aorta is narrowed etc.

Causes

• Hectic lifestyle
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Disturbed sleep
• Unhealthy eating habits
• Excessive use of some medicines
• ereditary factors
• Metabolic disorders
• High salt intake
• Emotional and Physical stress

Symptoms

• High blood pressure may or may not have symptoms
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Chest pain
• Blurred vision
• Breathlessness
• Unexplained sudden weakness

Complications

High blood pressure is one of the major risk factor for

• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Chronic renal failure

Obesity

Obesity means accumulation of too much fat in the body. It results in various serious consequences for the health.

Cause

Age, sex, emotions, genes and environmental factors etc. are the contributing factors for obesity and many diseases like hypothyroidism, depression etc. are also responsible for it.

Complications

Obesity increases the risk for

• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Arthritis
• Stroke