DIABETES – TWO DIFFERENT TYPES
Scattered among these enzyme-producing cells of the pancreas are small islands of different cells — the islets of Langerhans.
These contain two different cell types: alpha cells, which produce glucagon, a chemical which raises blood sugar levels by stimulating the liver to release glucose into the blood, and beta cells which produce insulin.
The tendency to develop diabetes appears to run in families and, if both parents are diabetic, their children run a risk as high as one in five. Incidence in the community varies from six to 13 per 1000. The variation depends on how the disease is classified.
Many people show what is called impaired glucose tolerance. They may have higher blood sugar levels than normal and, if given glucose, may not clear it from the blood as quickly as is normal. This condition is more common in the elderly.
Most of these people, whether young or old, do not go on to develop diabetes but, because they sometimes show sugar in the urine and blood tests may show increased glucose levels, they are often wrongly classified as diabetics.
*300/71/1*
