Symptoms Of Type 1 & 2 Diabetes

By Patricia | July 9, 2009

Symptoms - Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes

Urine does not usually have a particular smell though it tends to follow the scents of the food that you have eaten. However, a distinct sweet, fruity odor might be an ominous danger sign that you are excreting blood in your urine and that can only mean that you might be diabetic. Diabetes is a disease in which the insulin produced in the body is completely stopped or the insulin in the body is not effective in reducing blood sugar. The former type is called Type 1 diabetes and the latter Type 2. Either one of these types of diabetes will cause blood excretion in the urine. To confirm that you might have diabetes, you should get a blood test done that will measure the amount of serum glucose in the blood and in the urine. The disease has no cure being an autoimmune disorder and you can only manage it by changing your diet and lifestyle.

Diabetes Causes And Insulin

It is important that you understand the mechanisms that cause diabetes and some of the more dangerous aspects of the disease. Diabetes is caused by the lack of or the resistance to insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is secreted in the pancreas, and controls the metabolism of the body. Insulin does this by stimulating the muscles and cells of the body to use either fat or to use glucose as fuel source. When insulin is secreted, then the muscles, liver and fat tissue absorb sugar from the blood and use it as a fuel source. However, when there is no insulin production, then the body reverts to a default situation of using fat. This is done when the liver creates ketone bodies as an energy source from fat. This may seem innocuous as it is just an alternative fuel source but when ketone bodies are produced, the blood chemistry starts to change. This causes the blood to become more acidic and pH levels drop. This is a toxic situation for the body and is called ketoacidosis. This kills the tissues and cells and once this situation begins, a coma and death is sure to follow if insulin is not restored in the system. Since the most prominent ketone in the body is acetoacetic acid, the breath of someone with ketoacidosis will smell like alcohol, and nail polish remover.

Diet And Lifestyle

You will have to be mentally ready for some of the lifestyle changes because of the disease; especially, insulin injections, constant monitoring with a meter, diet changes, and increased exercise. There is no reason not to have a normal life if you can cope with these changes.

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