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Chronic

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Diabetes: An incredibly scary word that causes most people to cringe when heard; especially if it happens to be prevalent in an individual’s family history. If faced with the possibility of having diabetes the best thing to do is to become informed about the chronic disease by talking to a doctor, doing research on the internet or at the library, or perusing through a bookstore and buying a couple of books on the subject of diabetes. Being better informed will help an individual decide on the best way to take care of this chronic disease which has a couple of different types. Type 1 diabetes is thought to be an autoimmune chronic disease in which the body's immune system attacks the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. Type 1 diabetes may run in families but is less likely to occur than in type 2. Environmental issues, for example, certain kinds of viral infections, can also contribute. Type 1 diabetes can be commonly found in people of non-Hispanic white individuals of Northern European origin, with African Americans and Hispanic Americans following closely behind with individuals of Asian origin rarely ever contracting it. Men are more likely than women to have type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is thought to have a powerful genetic link. Type 2 diabetes risk factors include: High blood triglyceride levels; high-fat diet; obesity or being overweight; high blood pressure; sedentary lifestyle; high alcohol intake; and gestational diabetes. Another risk factor is ethnicity because Native Americans, African Americans, Japanese Americans, and Hispanic Americans have a better chance of developing type 2 diabetes than non-Hispanic whites. The final risk factor is age and the risk begins to escalate considerably at 45 years of age, and increases drastically after age 65. If an individual has diabetes sugar or glucose in the blood cannot be regulated by the body. Glucose

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