ESL go.com's Diabetes Vocabulary class
Retreived from diabetesinformation.co.uk on 10/01/2004
Read this information on diabetes and answer the vocabulary questions afterward.
Diabetes mellitus is caused by insufficient insulin production or lack of responsiveness to insulin.
Diabetes is a disorder in which the body cannot convert foods properly into the energy needed for daily activities. Diabetes tends to get passed on genetically but factors other than heredity are responsible as well. There are two main types of Diabetes. Type I, or insulin-dependent, is the more severe form of the disease. Type II, or adult onset, is the more common form and accounts for more than 85% of all cases. Diabetes cannot be cured, but it can be controlled. Control requires carefully regulating one's diet, regular exercise, and, if necessary, insulin.
In the UK, there are an estimated 1.4 million people with Diabetes, and possibly up to a million more undiagnosed. An estimate of the costs of insulin-dependent Diabetes Mellitus (type 1 diabetes) in England and Wales in 1992 put the direct costs at £96 million and the indirect costs at £113 million. Overall, estimates suggest that Diabetes costs the NHS at least £2 billion every year - 8 per cent of total hospital expenditure. More than half of this sum is spent treating the complications of the disease, and 10 per cent of hospital beds are occupied by people with Diabetes. This obviously proves that Diabetes is a MAJOR concern in the UK. On a Worldwide scale, Diabetes is the fourth leading cause of death in most developed countries.
You can reduce the risk of developing Diabetes by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. If you are already a diagnosed Diabetic, leading a healthy and sensible lifestyle will reduce the chances of you developing complications, such as kidney failure, later on in life.
Type the letter of the correct definition into the box on the left of each word or phrase.
I hope that this is enough to get you started. Try talking about Diabetes, food, and health on the ESL go health forum. Do you know someone with Diabetes? What do you do to reduce the risk of getting diabetes? Do you eat healthy? Do you exercise?
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In the UK, NHS is an abbreviation for National Health Service. Most people go to an NHS clinic when the want to visit a doctor, a dentist, or another medical professional.