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Diabetes Affects The Body

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Diabetes is a disease that affects the use of insulin in the body. According to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary diabetes mellitus is a ” disorder of carbohydrate metabolism caused by a combination of hereditary and environmental factors and usually characterized by inadequate secretion or utilization of insulin, by excessive urine production, by excessive amounts of sugar in the blood and urine, and by thirst, hunger, and loss of weight” (“Diabetes Mellitus”). This disease not only impacts the amounts of sugar in the blood, it also has lasting effects on the rest of the body. Diabetes impacts the body and its systems negatively if the body’s blood sugar levels are not treated or maintained properly.
In the body there are twelve different …show more content…

The blood vessels of the body take the hardest hit when dealing with diabetes. In the body the large vessels of the legs, brain, and heart are in decline. The capillaries that are damaged are what cause diseases of the retina, like glaucoma. The damaged capillaries also impair the circulation of the feet and nerves ("Diabetes - Long-term Effects"). “The the sensory… and motor… nerves of the legs and feet, arms, hands, chest and stomach, and the nerves that control the actions of body organs” ("Diabetes - Long-term Effects") all become damaged after chronic high sugar levels. Which can result in the loss of limbs due to loss of nerve transmissions, that can reduce the sensation of pain and pressure in the extremities (McCulloch). Two types of diabetes mellitus are responsible for all the negative effects on the …show more content…

Type one is characterized as an autoimmune disease, because the body targets it’s own beta cells in the pancreas. The beta cells are cells that produce insulin for the entire body. The body stops making insulin, causing people to become insulin dependent. An insulin dependent person would use insulin injections or an insulin pump ordinarily to manage their sugar levels. Type two diabetes is different. The body of a type two diabetic no longer responds to the body made insulin. Beta cells destroy themselves from the overproduction of insulin because the cells themselves try to compensate for the deficiency of insulin. Type two is either treated without medications like exercise and diet or with insulin tablets. But, there are some occurrences in which insulin injections would be needed ("Differences Between Type 1 and Type 2"). Both types are dangerous if not monitored, and cause the circulatory system to

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