Diabetes is a disease that affects approximately 20 million Americans. Essentially it is a disease that prevents the body from producing sufficient insulin and the body does not use the insulin that it does create properly. There are 2 main types of Diabetes, Type 1 diabetes which is typically diagnosed when a person is a child or teenager. The other type of Diabetes is Type 2 and typically is diagnosed in adults. While Type 1 diabetes can develop in anyone, Type 2 diabetes is more prevalent in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, as well as the elderly. Type 1 diabetes sufferers produce no insulin, while Type 2 diabetes suffers may produce some insulin, but not sufficient for their body to function normally.
Insulin is created by the body as part of the digestion process and its job is to take sugars, starches and food and create energy. When the body fails to produce sufficient insulin, the body cannot use sugars. By not processing sugars properly, the body can be thrown into any number of life threatening conditions including hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, ketoacidosis and celiac disease.
Diabetes can also bring with it a number of secondary complications. You can develop heart disease, kidney disease, eye complications and blindness, diabetic neuropathy or nerve degeneration, complications with extremities like feet and toes, skin complications, gastro paresis and depression. This is why it’s incredibly important to be properly diagnosed with diabetes and to treat it thoroughly with diet, injections or a diabetic infusion set. When properly treated, diabetics can live long and healthy lives, but you must call a doctor immediately if you begin to suffer from any symptoms of diabetes.
For the most part, it is impossible to ascertain why diabetes develops. In some cases, however, there has been a direct correlation made between diabetes and certain anti-psychotic drugs. Namely, some people have developed drug related diabetes. Several of these drugs, in fact, have been linked to the development in diabetes among those prescribed. The drugs include Zyprexa, Risperdal, Seroquel and Geodon. They have been linked to other blood sugar related conditions as well, including pancreatitis and hyperglycemia. Although the drugs may be effective for treating mental diseases like schizophrenia, the side effects of these drugs may open the company up to product liability for potentially fatal side effects.
For instance if you have been injured by drug induced diabetes or any side effects as a result of exposure to these products, you should contact a qualified product liability or defective drug attorney. Products that cause disease are open to litigation under product liability laws and, if you were not properly warned by your doctor about potentially damaging side effects you may have a medical malpractice lawsuit as well. You may, depending on your individual circumstance, be eligible for medical expense coverage, past and future medical care and compensation for any lost pay from not being able to work or compensation for pain and suffering. Diabetes can develop in to a host of other health problems so if you have developed drug related diabetes as a result of any medications you should contact an attorney today.