Causes of Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus often referred to simply as diabetes , is a syndrome characterized by disordered metabolism and abnormally high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia) resulting from insufficient levels of the hormone insulin

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play rolesIf you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, you know how overwhelming it can seem. It may feel like your life has been temporarily turned upside down. The Diabetes Toolbox is an article that links all the information you need in one convenient place.

Risk factors of Diabetes
Age. The risk of type 2 diabetes increases as you get older, especially after age 45. Often, that’s because people tend to exercise less, lose muscle mass and gain weight as they age. But type 2 diabetes is increasing dramatically among children, adolescents and younger adults.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – when a woman’s body produces an excess of testosterone (a male hormone) which causes the ovaries to release eggs (ovulate) less frequently than normal or they don’t release eggs at all. This syndrome usually causes irregular or absent menstrual cycles.

People with type 1 diabetes are more likely to have heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, high blood pressure, blindness, nerve damage and gum disease. These things happen 2 to 4 times more often in people with diabetes than in people without diabetes.

Diabetes resulting in an insulin-dependent state is classified as Type 1 diabetes. While Type 1 diabetes affects only between 5 to10 percent of the diabetic population, its effects on the body can be worse than other forms of diabetes. In the past, Type 1 has been known as juvenile or juvenile-onset diabetes (because it is usually diagnosed in those under thirty), brittle diabetes, unstable diabetes, and ketosis-prone diabetes.

Diabetes Symptoms
Diabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem so harmless. Recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chance of developing the complications of diabetes

In type 2 diabetes, symptoms may go unnoticed for years, and only when complications of diabetes – such as foot ulceration or blurred vision occur – is diabetes diagnosed. Remember that all the symptoms may not be present.

Many of the signs of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are similar. In both, there is too much glucose in the blood and not enough in the cells of your body. High glucose levels in Type I are due to a lack of insulin because the insulin producing cells have been destroyed.Symptoms of ketoacidosis include nausea and vomiting. Dehydration and often-serious disturbances in blood levels of potassium follow.

Treatment  of Diabetes
If you have diabetes, your doctor may tell you to regularly check your blood sugar levels at home. There are a number of devices available, and they use only a drop of blood. Self-monitoring tells you how well diet, medication, and exercise are working together to control your diabetes and can help your doctor prevent complications.

In the past, the insulin was being derived from animal sources, particularly cows and pigs. Not only was there a problem with enough supply of insulin to meet the demand, but beef and pork insulin also had specific problems. Originating from animals, these types of insulin caused immune reactions in some people.Medication. Any medications you take may affect your blood sugar level, sometimes requiring changes in your diabetes treatment plan.

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Hypertension is referred to as essential (primary) when the doctor is unable to identify a specific cause. It is by far the most common type of high blood pressure. The causes of this type are unknown but are likely to be a complex combination of genetic, environmental, and other factors.

High blood pressure is a ‘risk factor’ for developing a cardiovascular disease (such as a heart attack or stroke), and kidney damage, sometime in the future. If you have high blood pressure, over the years it may have a damaging effect to arteries and put a strain on your heart. In general, the higher your blood pressure, the greater the health risks. But, high blood pressure is just one of several possible risk factors for developing a cardiovascular disease.

If those temporary episodes occur frequently, they can cause just as much damage to your blood vessels, heart and kidneys as can chronic high blood pressure. In addition, when you have anxiety, you’re more likely to resort to other unhealthy habits, such as smoking, drinking or overeating — which, in turn, can increase your risk of high blood pressure.

Even if high blood pressure does cause symptoms, the symptoms are usually mild and nonspecific (vague, or suggesting many different disorders).

Malignant hypertension may be associated with headache, light-headedness, or nausea.

Certain nerve impulses cause your arteries to dilate (become larger) or contract (become smaller). If these vessels are wide open, blood can flow through easily. If they’re narrow, it’s harder for the blood to flow through them, and the pressure inside them increases. Then high blood pressure may occur. When this happens, your heart becomes strained and blood vessels may become damaged. Changes in the vessels that supply blood to your kidneys and brain may cause these organs to be affected.

In 90–95 percent of cases, scientists don’t know what causes high blood pressure. This is essential hypertension. Fortunately, although scientists don’t fully understand the causes of this disease, they’ve developed both non-drug and drug treatments that treat it effectively. They’ve also identified some factors that contribute to higher blood pressure. These are arteriosclerosis (or hardening of the arteries), thickening or hypertrophy of the artery wall, and excess contraction of the arterioles (small arteries).

Essential hypertension affects approximately 75 million Americans, yet its basic causes or underlying defects are not always known. Nevertheless, certain associations have been recognized in people with essential hypertension. For example, essential hypertension develops only in groups or societies that have a fairly high intake of salt, exceeding 5.8 grams daily. In fact, salt intake may be a particularly important factor in relation to essential hypertension in several situations.

Hypertension is referred to as essential (primary) when the doctor is unable to identify a specific cause. It is by far the most common type of high blood pressure. The causes of this type are unknown but are likely to be a complex combination of genetic, environmental, and other factors.

The cause of high blood pressure often cannot be found in many teens with hypertension. When the cause is unknown, a person has what’s called essential or primary hypertension. In cases where the cause of high blood pressure is known (called secondary hypertension), it is usually the result of kidney problems, hormonal disorders, abnormalities of the aorta (the main artery that carries oxygenated blood to the body), or a narrowing of certain smaller arteries. Most teens that are diagnosed with hypertension have essential hypertension.

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When the heart pumps blood into the arteries, the blood flows with a force pushing against the walls of the arteries. Blood pressure is the product of the flow of blood times the resistance in the blood vessels. High blood pressure is also called hypertension.

Symptoms

High blood pressure is a silent disease. Most people with high blood pressure don’t have any symptoms, so they don’t know if they have it unless their blood pressure is checked. The causes of high blood pressure vary. Disorders such as diabetes and high blood cholesterol may contribute to high blood pressure.

In some cases, however, a person can have high blood pressure symptoms. Possible symptoms of high blood pressure include:

•    Headache
•    Dizziness
•    Blurred vision
•    Nausea.

However, many people don’t seek medical care until they have more severe symptoms from the organ damage that long-term (chronic) high blood pressure can cause.

Causes

In the 95% of cases where the exact cause of high blood pressure is unknown, it is called essential hypertension or primary hypertension. Lifestyle, environment, and family history of the condition all play a role in these cases.

In a small percentage of people, this increased pressure is from an underlying problem such as kidney disease or a tumor of the adrenal gland. However, in 90 to 95 percent of all cases, the cause is unclear. That’s why it is known as the silent killer; it just creeps up without any warning. Whereas some of the contributing factors are not controllable, others can be quite controllable.

Treatment

The overall goal in treating hypertension is to prevent other health related complications and death from hypertension related complications. Treating and controlling your hypertension can help prevent damage to your heart, brain, kidneys, blood vessels, and eyes. For individuals who don’t have other medical or health conditions such as diabetes or heart failure, typically the goal is to lower systolic blood pressure to less than 140 and the diastolic blood pressure to less than 90 (“less than 140 over 90″).

There is no cure for primary hypertension, but blood pressure can almost always be lowered with the correct treatment. The goal of treatment is to lower blood pressure to levels that will prevent heart disease and other complications of hypertension that could manifest in adulthood. In secondary hypertension, the disease that is responsible for the hypertension is treated in addition to the hypertension itself. Successful treatment of the underlying disorder may cure the secondary hypertension.

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High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, can be as dangerous as any other chronic disease. It’s also called the “silent killer” because people suffering from high blood pressure can usually not detect it early on, unless it’s diagnosed during a routine checkup. In our extremely hectic lives we sometimes neglect our blood pressure and stress levels. As such, it is important for us to recognize some of the causes of high blood pressure so that we are able to minimize or modify certain activities and practices and so avoid developing this condition.

There are many causes of high blood pressure but one important factor that seems to be involved in almost all cases is stress. For a very long time, doctors considered stress to be a contributing factor only and not a cause. But new evidence reveals that chronic stress is indeed a major cause of hypertension.

Everyone gets stressed out at times. The difference is that some can manage their stress well and take measures to relieve it while others ignore it, letting it build up until it explodes or results in other negative consequences or even illness. No matter what the circumstances, stress can be easily managed when one knows the right techniques and makes the effort to use them when needed.

There are countless ways to relieve stress. The simple pleasure of listening to music, for instance, can be very calming. The next time you feel like tearing your hair out put on your favorite music and it will work every time. This tried and tested method will certainly put your mind at ease.

Breathing in a certain way is also well known to relieve stress and has recently proved to work directly on blood pressure as well. A new method called “slow breathing with music” combines a breathing technique proven to lower blood pressure with relaxing music. This great new method offers numerous health benefits and takes only a few minutes a day.

High blood pressure can also be caused by a poor diet. You are what you eat, as they say, and our diet plays a very important role in regulating our blood pressure. For example, many people are now aware that excess sodium can make blood pressure shoot sky high. So it’s important to avoid salty foods and snacks and to not add table salt to your meals. A normal, balanced diet offers plenty of natural sodium without the need for added salt.

Another element of a poor diet is eating too much fatty food, which usually has a high amount of the wrong type of cholesterol. This is the so-called “bad” cholesterol that forms plaque in arteries that can build up into blockages with dire health consequences.

The answer to avoiding excess sodium, fat and cholesterol is simply to eat a balanced and varied diet of whole, natural and unprocessed foods. Natural foods contain a healthy balance of nutrients that become degraded through processing. For example, a fresh fish, fried or baked simply, is healthier than a pack of “fish sticks” which have been chopped, blended with starches and preservatives, dipped in salty batter and frozen.

Closely related to diet is our weight and activity level. A poor diet combined with lack of exercise will quickly lead to being overweight. Excess weight makes the heart work harder and increases blood pressure. At the same time, inactivity weakens the heart because, as a muscle, the heart needs exercise to be strong and healthy. Poor diet, excess weight and inactivity are a recipe for disaster.

Smoking and drinking too much alcohol are popular vices but they are both major causes of high blood pressure. The answer to smoking is simply to stop, one way or another. There is no safe level of smoking. Alcohol is more complicated because in the right amount it can even be healthy. It’s a tricky balance because even a small amount of excess alcohol on a regular basis can easily raise your blood pressure. How much is too much? That’s often difficult to say because different people handle it differently, but if you have regular hangovers and/or difficulty sleeping you are definitely drinking too much and this is surely having an impact on your blood pressure.

These are some of the major lifestyle factors that can be causes of high blood pressure. Doctors estimate that up to 95% of hypertension cases are the result of lifestyle. The good news is that changes in lifestyle, such as eating better and drinking less, are often the most effective way of treating your high blood pressure.

At the same time, it’s important to note that high blood pressure can also depend on genetic factors. In fact, there are many cases of the condition with no other possible explanation. If high blood pressure runs in your family the chances are high that you will develop it too. If this is the case, treatment with medications may offer the only solution. Having said this, maintaining a healthy lifestyle will always influence your blood pressure and reduce the severity of your hypertension.

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Type 2 diabetes can be a “silent” disease, which means that you may have it and not know you do. One of the most common things that occurs with type 2 diabetes is that you may begin to experience symptoms such as tingling in your fingers or toes (neuropathy), blurred vision, or chest pains or shortness of breath. Again, as with any troublesome symptoms, you should see your doctor.

Diabetes is a condition that occurs when the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin. Some people are born with this condition or has the onset of diabetes at an early age. This is called juvenile diabetes or type 1. Type 1 diabetes usually requires insulin injections. The onset of diabetes later in life is called type 2. Type 2 diabetes can be treated and in most cases prevented with simple lifestyle changes.

The chronic condition associated with the way the body metabolizes glucose (sugar) is called diabetes. When the disease surfaces in adults or involves non-insulin dependency, this form of the condition is known as type 2 diabetes. Although type 2 diabetes is often preventable, an increasing amount of people is developing diabetes symptom and signs, as a result of a growing obesity problem throughout the United States.

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes can be a “silent” disease, which means that you may have it and not know you do. One of the most common things that occurs with type 2 diabetes is that you may begin to experience symptoms such as tingling in your fingers or toes (neuropathy), blurred vision, or chest pains or shortness of breath. Again, as with any troublesome symptoms, you should see your doctor.

Type 2 diabetes can develop at any age however is most common to appear during adulthood. Type 2 diabetes is caused by an insulin resistance; basically the body is unable to react properly to insulin. This resistance to react is caused by many factors which include age, obesity and having a high blood sugar throughout a long period of time.

Causes of Type 2 Diabetes

There are many causes for diabetes, which means that are many reasons why a person can develop diabetes type 2. The most common of all the factors that cause diabetes is genetics. Almost a half of the people who suffer from diabetes type 2 are brothers and sisters and one in three children of the same family will eventually suffer from diabetes. The second strongest cause of developing diabetes is obesity. That and an intake of many calories are the second and third of the diabetes causes. Almost a third of all people that suffer from diabetes type 2 have antibodies to the islet cells, which produce insulin. These cells so vital in diabetes can be detected in the blood. If the islet cells do not work properly, your body will not get enough insulin.

Type 2 diabetes results from a combination of defective insulin secretion and insulin resistance or reduced insulin sensitivity. Although the exact cause for type 2 is unknown, it seems that central obesity predisposes people for insulin resistance, possibly because of hormone secretions that impair glucose tolerance. Fifty-five percent of individuals with type 2 diabetes are obese. Aging and family history also seem to play a role in the onset of this type. Type 2 diabetes is first treated by diet and exercise, which can restore insulin sensitivity. Some diabetics can control their glucose levels just by these natural methods. If this doesn’t work, the next step is treatment with oral ant diabetic drugs. If the oral medications fail, insulin therapy will be implemented.

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