Diabetes is a disorder in which the hormone insulin is diminished because the high levels of glucose in the body exceed the amount that should be in the body normally.
Symptoms: thirst, fatigue, weight loss or gain, blurry vision, excess sleep, constant urge to urinate.
Causes: TYPE ONE DIABETES: caused by the immune system destroying the cells in the pancreas that produce the hormone insulin. TYPE TWO DIABETES: can be caused by genetics. Type two diabetes produces insulin but it's not enough; body doesn't respond positively to it (insulin resistance).
Treatments/cures: keep blood sugar levels controlled by having a healthy diet, exercise, therapy, and maintaining a healthy weight.
Disorders: Diabetes in pregnancy is different from one women to another; it's not just genes that can increase the possibility to contract the disorder. It is the environment you live in. Diabetes causes more damage to the kidneys of a child than an adult.
Pancreas: The gland located behind the stomach and secretes to the lower intestine and stomach to help break down food. Also secretes insulin into the bloodstream to control the body's glucose levels.
Physical description: The pancreas as four parts; tail, body, neck, and head.
Function: Release enzymes that digest fats, proteins, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids. They produce alkaline fluid to neutralize acidic chime in the small intestine.
Hormonal secretions: insulin (regulates glucose in the bloodstream), glucagon (assists insulin maintain normal glucose levels by working in the opposite way of insulin), and gastrin (helps digestion by stimulating cells in the stomach to produce acid).
Interesting facts: Insulin is released is usually only released after you eat or when you have too much sugar in your system. Glucagon is released when glucose levels are low; make liver release sugar to keep your brain and other organs that depend on sugar content.