2008 Woodie Awards
Diabetes affects those of all ages
Sierra Hubbard
Issue date: 11/18/08 Section: News
College students have typically referred to diabetes as "an old person's disease" but, as more and more young people are being diagnosed with it every day, there may be a swing in awareness coming.
Medicinenet.com describes diabetes as a chronic disease associated with abnormally high levels of the sugar glucose in the blood, caused by a body's improper use of insulin or inadequate sensitivity of cells to the action of insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps regulate metabolism by processing sugar for energy.
According to the CDC in 2007 (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health), "more than 23.6 million children and adults in the United States already suffer from diabetes, and only about 5.7 million of them are even aware that they have it."
There are four major types of diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes also known as juvenile diabetes (because it is often found in children) which is described when a person is unable to make insulin. Without insulin, sugar builds up in the blood causing damage to the body.
"Those who have type 1 diabetes usually take insulin, type 1 diabetes can not be prevented and it does not go away, you would have to get treatment for life in order to live functionally," Jones, a nurse for the St. Louis Health System, said.
Diabetes has affected many residents on campus.
"My grandma has type 1 diabetes, being with her makes me more cautious, we have to watch what we cook because she can only eat certain things," Kate Wilcox, Brown's resident hall director, said.
Type 2 diabetes is a form of diabetes in which insulin is produced, but the body does not respond to it normally. This causes glucose levels to rise.
The third type is gestational diabetes which is a disease characterized by high blood pressure during pregnancy.
According to The American Diabetes Association "Gestational diabetes affect about 4% of all pregnant Women. [There are] about 135,000 cases of gestational diabetes in the United States per year."
Medicinenet.com describes diabetes as a chronic disease associated with abnormally high levels of the sugar glucose in the blood, caused by a body's improper use of insulin or inadequate sensitivity of cells to the action of insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps regulate metabolism by processing sugar for energy.
According to the CDC in 2007 (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health), "more than 23.6 million children and adults in the United States already suffer from diabetes, and only about 5.7 million of them are even aware that they have it."
There are four major types of diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes also known as juvenile diabetes (because it is often found in children) which is described when a person is unable to make insulin. Without insulin, sugar builds up in the blood causing damage to the body.
"Those who have type 1 diabetes usually take insulin, type 1 diabetes can not be prevented and it does not go away, you would have to get treatment for life in order to live functionally," Jones, a nurse for the St. Louis Health System, said.
Diabetes has affected many residents on campus.
"My grandma has type 1 diabetes, being with her makes me more cautious, we have to watch what we cook because she can only eat certain things," Kate Wilcox, Brown's resident hall director, said.
Type 2 diabetes is a form of diabetes in which insulin is produced, but the body does not respond to it normally. This causes glucose levels to rise.
The third type is gestational diabetes which is a disease characterized by high blood pressure during pregnancy.
According to The American Diabetes Association "Gestational diabetes affect about 4% of all pregnant Women. [There are] about 135,000 cases of gestational diabetes in the United States per year."
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