Diabetes basically refers to a group of diseases which are caused by problems in regulation of glucose within the body. There are basically two kinds of diabetes – diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus. Diabetes mellitus is basically caused by irregularities in regulation of insulin. Insulin is a hormone which is produced by pancreas and is concerned with the regulation of glucose level in the body. Abnormalities in regulation of this particular hormone can result in your blood glucose level going up or going down. Generally, due to low secretion of insulin, the blood glucose level increases considerably giving rise to other conditions in the heart, kidneys and eyes.
Diabetes is a chronic condition which can give rise to several other conditions if not taken care of properly. Various changes in your lifestyle are quite integral to keeping a control over the glucose levels in your blood. These changes involve maintaining a healthy diet, exercise regularly and avoid smoking or consumption of alcohol on a regular basis.
There are a number of factors which you need to be aware of that might increase the risk of developing diabetes. You should keep these factors in your mind before you visit your diabetologist. These factors differ depending on the nature of diabetes. The common factors in case of Type 1 diabetes include:
- Environmental factors like prolonged exposure to harmful toxins that can cause hormonal imbalances and particularly interfere with the functioning of pancreas and insulin production can result in deficiency of insulin, thus causing diabetes.
- Various dietary factors such as deficiency in consumption of Vitamin D, exposure to cereals early in life can also cause this disease.
- If you have a family history of diabetes, it increases the risk of you developing diabetes.
- Your geographic location can also interfere with insulin production. It has been observed that people from Finland and Sweden are more likely to develop Type 1 diabetes.
There are also factors which increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, which include:
- If one or some of the members of your family is suffering from diabetes or has suffered from diabetes in the past, you are most likely to develop diabetes.
- Hypertension is one of the leading risk factors that can contribute to the development of diabetes. Having blood pressures above 140/90 (mm Hg) is definitely linked to development of Type2 diabetes.
- The risk of developing Type 2 diabetes also increases with increase in age. As you tend to go over 40, you tend to gain weight and lose flexibility. This is a primary cause of old age diabetes.
- In case of women, if you are suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome, you have a high chance of developing Type2 diabetes. This happens because polycystic ovarian syndrome is characterized by irregular menstrual periods and obesity, which are primary risk factors for developing this condition.
Thus, if you are planning to pay a visit to a diabetologist, it is very important for you to keep a check on these factors and try to avoid doing activities that can increase the chances of you developing diabetes.