Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases that alter the process through which the body uses glucose (blood sugar), a vital energy source for the body cells. This chronic disease occurs when the pancreas cannot make enough insulin or when the body doesn’t effectively use the produced insulin.
Types of diabetes
Type 2 diabetes
This type of diabetes develops when the body develops insulin resistance, causing sugar to accumulate in the blood. It was seen only in adults until recently when it is now occurring even in children.
Type 2 diabetes mostly results in physical inactivity and excess body weight.
Type 1 diabetes
This autoimmune disease is characterized by low insulin production. Patients with type 1 diabetes receive daily insulin administration. The immune system attacks pancreas cells. The cause of this attack is not known. It is present in more than 10% of the people with diabetes.
Prediabetes
Also referred to as borderline diabetes, this type comes about when the blood sugar gets higher than the standard level, but not high enough as the case in type 2 diabetes. The glucose level here ranges between 100 and 120 milligrams per deciliter.
People diagnosed with prediabetes are also easily susceptible to type 2 diabetes.
Gestational diabetes
This is characterized by high blood sugar levels during pregnancy. Insulin-blocking hormones released by the placenta are the main cause. Women diagnosed with gestational diabetes mostly experience complications during pregnancy as well as delivery. Their children are also posed to the risk of later developing type 2 diabetes.
This type of diabetes is diagnosed through prenatal screening.
How do insulin problems develop?
When a person consumes food, it is the insulin that allows the glucose to access the cells of the body and supply energy. Insulin resistance can develop, and it is caused by this cycle:
Due to genetic or environmental factors, the body finds it hard to produce enough insulin to keep up with the glucose intake. As a result, it will try to produce extra insulin to keep up with the blood’s high glucose levels. However, the pancreas fails to meet these demands, and the excess sugar starts to circulate in the body. As time goes by, insulin becomes less effective, and blood sugar levels keep rising.
Signs and symptoms
Some of the general symptoms include:
- Blurry vision
- Escalated hunger
- Weight loss
- Frequent thirst
- Frequent urination
- Fatigue
- Sores (do not heal)
Besides, men experience additional symptoms such as erectile dysfunction, poor muscle strength, and low sex drive.
On the other hand, women exhibit symptoms such as dry and itchy skin, yeast, and urinary tract infections.
Complications caused by diabetes
When a person has diabetes, organs and tissues get damaged. Here are some of the complications that are associated with diabetes:
- Neuropathy and nephropathy
- Stroke
- Heart attacks and other heart-related diseases
- Vision and hearing loss
- Foot damage by sores
- Dementia
- Depression
- Fungi and bacterial infections.
For gestational diabetes, the mother might develop conditions such as hypertension. She is also at risk of developing diabetes again during pregnancies in the future. The baby can also develop complications such as jaundice, premature birth, or stillbirths.
Diabetes treatment
Type 1 diabetes
Insulin is administered to replace the one that the body fails to produce. Based on how long the effects last and how quickly they start working, four types of insulin are mostly used; rapid-acting insulin (effects lasting for at least 3 hours), short-acting insulin (effects lasts 6-8 hours), intermediate-acting insulin (effects last 12-18 hours) and long-acting insulin (effects can last even longer than 24 hours).
Type 2 diabetes
Most people manage type 2 diabetes through diet, exercise, and lifestyle change. If this isn’t enough, drugs such as Biguanides and DPP-4 inhibitors are administered to lower blood sugar levels. Some patients take insulin too.
Gestational diabetes
According to a recent finding, at least 10% of women with this diabetes need insulin administration to lower glucose levels in the blood since it is safe for the growing baby.
During pregnancy, women should have their blood sugar monitored. In case it gets high, exercise and dietary changes are recommended to bring it down.
Diabetes prevention
If a person is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the doctor will often recommend lifestyle changes. This helps support weight loss and improves the overall health of the patient. They can also refer the patients to a nutritionist who will help them lead a balanced and active life to manage the disease.
It is possible for people at risk of falling victim to diabetes to delay or even prevent it. A healthy lifestyle and eating plan is important to keep diabetes and other diseases at bay. Weight control is also recommended.