What is Diabetes
Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic, progressive, noncommunicable disease characterized by an increase in blood glucose secondary to an absolute or relative efficiency in insulin signaling, the major regulating hormone of glycemia.
What are the types of diabetes?
There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2:
- Type 1 diabetes occurs because the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas (beta cells) are damaged. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas makes little or no insulin so sugar cannot get into the body's cells for use as energy. People with type 1 diabetes must use insulin injections to control their blood glucose. Type 1 is the most common form of diabetes in people who are under age 30, but it can occur at any age. Ten percent of people with diabetes are diagnosed with type 1.
- In type 2 diabetes (adult onset diabetes), the pancreas makes insulin, but it either doesn't produce enough, or the insulin does not work properly. Nine out of 10 people with diabetes have type 2. This type occurs most often in people who are over 40 years old but can occur even in childhood if there are risk factors present. Type 2 diabetes may sometimes be controlled with a combination of diet, weight management, and exercise. However, the treatment also may include oral glucose-lowering medications (taken by mouth) or insulin injections (shots).
What causes diabetes?
The causes of diabetes are not known. The following risk factors may increase your chance of getting diabetes:
- Family history of diabetes
- Being overweight
- Physical stress (such as surgery or illness)
- Use of certain medications, including steroids
- Injury to the pancreas (such as infection, tumor, surgery or accident)
- Autoimmune disease
- High blood pressure
- Abnormal blood cholesterol or triglyceride levels
- Age (risk increases with age)
- Smoking
- History of gestational diabetes
What are the symptoms of diabetes?
The symptoms of diabetes include:
Complications of diabetes
Diabetes complications are divided into microvascular (due to damage to small blood vessels) and macrovascular (due to damage to larger blood vessels). Microvascular complications include damage to eyes (retinopathy) leading to blindness, to kidneys (nephropathy) leading to renal failure and to nerves (neuropathy) leading to impotence and diabetic foot disorders (which include severe infections leading to amputation).
References:
- American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Basics. Accessed 11/5/2018.
- The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. What is Diabetes? Accessed 11/5/2018.
- American Diabetes Association. A1C and eAG. Accessed 11/5/2018.
