Pancreatic Cancer Statistics

Approximately 8% of the population in the United States has diabetes. This means that approximately 16 million people have been diagnosed with the disease, based only on national statistics. The American Diabetes Association estimates that diabetes accounts for 178,000 deaths, 54,000 amputees, and 12,000-24,000 cases of blindness annually. Blindness is 25 times more common among diabetic patients compared to nondiabetics. It is proposed that by the year 2010, diabetes will exceed both heart disease and cancer as the leading cause of death through its many complications.

Pancreatic Cancer Statistics

Diabetics have a high level of blood glucose. The blood sugar level is regulated by insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, which releases it in response to food consumption. Insulin causes the cells of the body to take in glucose from the blood. The glucose is used as fuel for cellular functions.

Diagnostic standards for diabetes have been fasting plasma glucose levels greater than 140 mg/dL on two occasions and plasma glucose greater than 200 mg/dL following a 75-gram glucose load. More recently, the American Diabetes Association lowered the criteria for a diabetes diagnosis to fasting plasma glucose levels equal to or greater than 126 mg/dL. Fasting plasma levels outside the normal limit require additional tests, usually by repeating the fasting plasma glucose test and (if indicated) giving the patient an oral glucose tolerance test.

The symptoms of diabetes include excessive urination, excessive thirst and hunger, sudden weight loss, blurred vision, delay in healing of wounds, dry and itchy skin, repeated infections, fatigue and headache. These symptoms, while suggestive of diabetes, may be due to other reasons also.

There are two different types of diabetes.

Type I Diabetes (juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes): The cause of type I diabetes is caused by pancreatic inability to produce insulin. It is responsible for 5-10% of cases of diabetes. The pancreatic Islet of Langerhans cells, which secrete the hormone, are destroyed by the body's own immune system, probably because it mistakes them for a virus. Viral infections are thought to be the trigger that sets off this auto-immune disease. It is more common in caucasians and runs in families.

If untreated, death occurs within a few months of the onset of juvenile diabetes, as the cells of the body starve because they no longer receive the hormonal prompt to take in glucose. While most Type I diabetics are young (hence the term Juvenile Diabetes), the condition can develop at any age. Autoimmune diabetes can be definitely diagnosed by a blood test which shows the presence of anti-insulin/anti-islet-cell antibodies.

Type II Diabetes (non insulin dependent diabetes or adult onset diabetes): This diabetes is a result of body tissues becoming resistant to insulin. It accounts for 90-95% of cases. Often the pancreas is producing more than average amounts of insulin, but the cells of the body have become unresponsive to its effect due to the chronically high level of the hormone. Eventually the pancreas may exhaust its over-active secretion of the hormone, and insulin levels fall to below normal.

A tendency towards Type II diabetes is hereditary, but it is unlikely to develop in normal-weight individuals eating a low- or moderate-carbohydrate diet. Obese, sedentary individuals who eat poor-quality diets based on refined starch, which constantly activates pancreatic insulin secretion, are prone to develop insulin resistance. Native peoples such as North American Indians whose traditional diets did not include refined starch until its recent introduction by Europeans have extremely high rates of diabetes, up to 5 times the rate of caucasians. Blacks and hispanics are also at higher risk. Though Type II diabetes is not fatal within a matter of months, it can lead to health complications over several years and cause severe disability and premature death. As with Type I diabetes, the condition is found primarily in one age group, in this case people over 40 (which is why it is often termed Adult Onset); however, with the rise in childhood and teenage obesity, it is appearing in children as well.

If neglected, diabetes can lead to life-threatening complications such as kidney damage (nephropathy), heart disease, nerve damage (neuropathy), retinal damage and blindness(retinopathy), and hypoglycemia (drastic reduction in glucose levels). Diabetes damages blood vessels, especially smaller end-arteries, leading to severe and premature atherosclerosis. Diabetics are prone to foot problems because neuropathy, which affects approximately 10% of patients, causes their feet to lose sensation. Foot injuries, common in day-to-day living, go unnoticed, and these injuries do not heal because of poor circulation through the small arteries in the foot. Gangrene and subsequent amputation of toes or feet is the consequence for many elderly patients with poorly-controlled diabetes. Usually these sequelae appear earlier in Type I than Type II diabetes, because Type II patients have some of their own insulin production left to buffer changes in blood sugar levels.

Type I diabetes is a serious disease and there is no permanent cure for it. However, the symptoms can be controlled by strict dietary monitering and insulin injections. Implanted pumps which release insulin immediately in response to changes in blood glucose are in the testing stages.

In theory, since it caused by diet, Type II diabetes should be preventable and manageable by dietary changes alone, but in practice many diabetics (and many obese people without diabetes) find it personally impossible to lose weight or adhere to a healthy diet. Therefore they are frequently treated with drugs which restore the body's response to insulin, and in some cases injections of insulin.

Please note that this article is not a subsitute for medical advice. If you suspect you have diabetes or are in a high risk group, please see your doctor.

For more information, please visit our site,
http://www.diabetes-testing-2006.info

Nervous System

Pancreatic Cancer Statistics

It is estimated that three to four out of every ten men have experienced alcohol blackout when they were teenagers or in their twenties. This comes as a result of too much drinking which results in memory loss regarding spacio-temporal orientation. A popular effect of alcohol is sleep disturbance resulting in reduced overall sleep quality. Numbness as well as tingling may be felt in the arms and legs. Korsakoff's and Wernicke's syndrome may be experienced together or separately. The culprit for both are low thiamine levels. (a type of vitamin B complex) present in alcohol. Korsakoff's syndrome affects the memory severely and prevents new learning from taking place while Wernicke's syndrome results to very poor balance, difficulty in walking and disordered eye movements.

Gastrointestinal system

Loosening of the muscular ring is also one of alcohol related illnesses. It prevents the re-entrance of the contents of the stomach to the esophagus. Stomach acids flows into the esophagus and causes bleeding and pain. Stomach inflammation may also be the culprit for decreased appetite and pain and bleeding. Severe, uncontrollable bleeding comes as a result of bloated dilated blood vessels within the esophagus also known as esophageal varices. Hemorrhaging as well as bursting may develop from this as a response to liver disease. Diarrhea is one of the common symptoms due to the effect of alcohol on the pancreas. Pancreatitis or inflammation of the pancreas are also alcohol related illnesses. A malnourished state is likewise created by alcohol which prevents the absorption of nutrients. As the liver is where metabolism of alcohol takes place, it is also affected by constant levels of alcohol. The liver is enlarged and fatty liver results. Fibrous scar tissue also known as cirrhosis impede the normal structure and function of the liver. The organ may also be inflamed (hepatitis).

Blood

Changes in blood cell types are also considered as alcohol related illnesses. Red blood cells are inflamed or abnormally enlarged. White blood cell reduction results in a weakened immune system as these are the cells that fight infections. Alcoholics Increased risk of having cancer is blamed on this factor. Platelets as well as blood clotting factors increase which in turn results to increased risk of bleeding.

Heart

Fluctuating blood pressure is also an alcohol related illness. Increased alcohol intake causes increased blood pressure even if small amounts cause a drop in blood pressure. High levels of fat in the bloodstream is also a coronary risk factor. Higher risk of stroke is also blamed on heavy drinking as a blood clot goes to the circulatory system from the heart to the brain and blocks a blood vessel there. You can also expect blood clot risk in heart chambers, weakened heart muscles and enlargement of the heart.

Reproductive System

Alcohol related illnesses likewise find link to the reproductive system. Alcohol decreases the size of the testicle as well as ovary and interferes with egg and sperm production which then causes reduced fertility in both species. A mother who is alcoholic also puts her child at great risk of developing fetal alcohol syndrome. You can expect the child to have facial defect, lower IQ as well as behavioral problems.

On the nervous system - 30-40% of men have been estimated to have yielded to an alcohol related blackout in their teens and/or twenties. This is due to too much alcohol within the body which can cause loss of memory. A reduced quality of sleep in general subsequently results from sleep disturbance is a well-known effect of consuming alcohol. The legs as well as the arms might also feel tingling and/or numbness. Korsakoff's and Wernicke's syndrome might emerge at different or at the same time. These are caused by dwindling levels of a type of vitamin B complex known as Thiamine. Korsakoff's syndrome causes loss of memory as well as impedance of learning anything new. Meanwhile, Wernicke's syndrome causes the eyes to have disorderly movements, poor equilibrium and walking difficulty.

Pancreatic Cancer Statistics

On the gastrointestinal system - loosening of the muscular ring is another alcohol related illness. However, this one hinders stomach contents from going to the esophagus. Aside from pain, bleeding can also be a result of stomach acids surging into the esophagus. A decline in appetite and bleeding as well as pain might also be because of the inflammation. on the other hand, esophageal varices and bloated blood vessels can cause intense bleeding. Hemorrhaging as well as bursting can follow as reactions to liver disease. Pancreatitis can also be experienced. The absorption of nutrients needed by the body is also denied because of alcohol and this causes malnourishment. Constant levels of alcohol affects the live as well as this is where alcohol is metabolized. A fatty liver succeeds an enlarged liver. A normal liver build and role is hindered by cirrhosis or fibrous scar tissue. Hepatitis might be experienced too.

On the blood - a change in blood type is an alcohol related illness as well. Either inflammation or unusual enlargement happens to the blood cells. A compromise in the immune system is due to the decrease of white blood cells that fight infection. This causes an elevated risk for cancer in alcoholics.

On the heart - fluctuation in blood pressure is another alcohol related illness. Little amounts of alcohol may decrease blood pressure but on the other hand, an increased intake means higher blood pressure. Drinking heavily could also increase risks of having strokes as blood clots go through the circulatory from the coronary chambers to your brain and this impedes a blood vessel in the brain. Risks of blood clots in the coronary chambers, sapped cardiac muscles and an enlargement of the heart could also happen because of a heavy intake of alcohol.

On the reproductive system - testicle as well as ovary size is lessened by alcohol. This in turn affects sperm as well as egg production and this can lead to infertility. A baby is also at risk of contracting fetal alcohol syndrome by someone pregnant who takes in alcohol. The child may suffer facial defects, problems in behavior and a low IQ.