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Diabetes : Type 1 And Type 2 Essay

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Diabetes is a disease where the body is unable to produce or use insulin effectively. Insulin is needed for proper storage and use of carbohydrates. Without it, blood sugar levels can become too high or too low, resulting in a diabetic emergency. It affects about 7.8% of the population. The incidence of diabetes is known to increase with age. It’s the leading cause of end-stage renal disease in the US, and is the primary cause of blindness and foot and leg amputation. It is known to cause neuropathy in up to 70% of diabetic patients. Individuals with diabetes are twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease. There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2.
Type 1 is characterized by the body’s inability to produce insulin. It is caused by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic beta cells, which are responsible for producing insulin. There appears to be a hereditary link in people with Type 1 diabetes. Other factors have been known to cause Type 1 diabetes such as viral infections, toxins, and other environmental factors. Type 1 diabetes is the rare form, affecting about 10% of the diabetes population. Its onset usually occurs in people less than the age of 20.
Type 2 is characterized by the body’s inability to use insulin effectively because of a combination of resistance to insulin as well as an overall decrease production in insulin. There is a genetic predisposition to Type 2 diabetes, but there are several other factors that also put an individual at

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