Eddie Bischele, age 11, of Indianapolis, Ind., for his question:
WHAT EXACTLY IS DIABETES?
All tests for diabetes have to do with the factors which tend to lower or raise the blood sugar, or glucose, that can be measured either in the urine or the blood. The level of blood sugar is affected by food intake, amount of physical activity, infection and the emotional state as well as by the amount of insulin administered to the body by the pancreas.
There are two types of diabetes: diabetes insipidus and diabetes mellitus.
Diabetes insipidus is a condition that results when the body doesn't receive a proper amount of the hormone vasopressin. Produced by the hypothalamus and stored in and released by the posterior pituitary, vasopressin allows the kidneys to hold back water that passes to them from the blood.
A person with diabetes insipidus is bothered by an excessive passing of urine and a persistent feeling of being thirsty. Control can come by injections of vasopressin.
The most common type of diabetes, called mellitus, is characterized by the presence of too much sugar in the urine and blood. It occurs when the pancreas does not produce sufficient amounts of the hormone called insulin.
When the body doesn't receive enough insulin, the body is unable to use or store sugar normally. Too much sugar builds up in the bloodstream and the kidneys give off extra amounts through the urine. Then the way protein and fat are used by the body are also abnormal.
Symptoms of diabetes mellitus, in addition to too much sugar, can include great thirst, loss of weight and strength and the passing of large amounts of urine. Untreated, a person with the disease can also be bothered by boils, infections and carbuncles.
While a person with diabetes mellitus cannot be cured, he definitely can be treated and can live as long as a normal person. He must take regular injections of insulin and also learn to carefully control his diet. Menus should eliminate items with high sugar content, such as cakes and candy.
The natural anti-diabetic hormone, insulin, must be given by injection because when taken by mouth it will be destroyed in the digestive system. There is a debate going on among doctors regarding the use of several drugs that can be given to stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin. Some favor the drugs while other physicians believe they are harmful to the body.
A proper diet is absolutely vital to a person suffering with diabetes. In addition to controlling the amount of sugar he takes it is also important for him to have just exactly the right amounts of minerals and vitamins.
Most scientists agree that every diabetic should be under a doctor's regular care.