About Diabetes
Having affected about 30 million Americans, diabetes, by definition is, a metabolic disease in which the body’s inability to produce any or enough insulin causes elevated levels of glucose in the blood. Basically, diabetes is when the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to keep up with the glucose in the blood stream, meaning cells don't get the energy they need. Insulin is the hormone that is needed for Insulin Mediated Glucose Uptake. To learn more about Insulin Mediated Glucose Uptake click the button below.
Symptoms of diabetes includes:
Although there is no cure for diabetes, treatment may help. Treatment may mean taking insulin injections or changing your lifestyle. |
The Tests for Diagnosing Diabetes
The GTT (Glucose Tolerance Testing) and IT (Insulin Level Testing) are two important tests that are used in diagnosing a diabetic. Based on the GTT results, it can be determined whether or not the person is a diabetic, while the IT results determine what type of diabetes that person has. For the GTT and IT, the patient must fast, then plasma is collected from the individual at 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes after they drank a glucose solution. You are diagnosed a diabetic if your GTT results are above 200 mg/dL, you are a prediabetic if your results are between 140 and 199 mg/dL, and a normal result for this test is anywhere below 140 mg/dL. For a Type I diabetic, the IT results show no change in insulin levels. For you (as a Type II diabetic) there will be a delayed change in the level of insulin in your blood. An example GTT is shown to the bottom right, and an example IT is shown to the bottom left. In the example tests, Patient A is a prediabetic, Patient B is a Type II diabetic, and Anna Garcia is a Type I diabetic.
Type I, Type II, and Gestational Diabetes
There are three types of diabetes Type I, Type II, and gestational. Type I is hereditary, in Type I diabetes the pancreas does not produce any insulin, or very low levels of insulin. This is because the immune system destroys the pancreatic cells that produce insulin, beta cells, therefore insulin cannot be produced. Type I diabetics need insulin injections. In Type II diabetes, the pancreas either does not produce enough insulin, or the insulin and insulin receptors are resistant to each other. The main cause of Type II diabetes is obesity. Only some Type II diabetics need insulin injections. In gestational diabetes, women only get diabetes during pregnancy. Although, women who have or has had gestational diabetes, are at an increased risk for Type II diabetes.