Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder or disease where the levels of blood glucose are above the normal standards.
This happens due to the incapability of the body to make use of glucose to be transformed to energy as required by body cells.
Food that enters our body, carbohydrates in particular, is digested and then absorbed by the circulation system in the form of glucose.
Glucose circulates in the blood stream to be distributed to cells all through the whole body that need it for energy and growth.
To make this happen, glucose enters the cell and transforms it to energy with the help of insulin, an essential hormone produced by the pancreas.
In diabetes, the pancreas does not produce the sufficient amount of insulin or also by the improper use of insulin by the muscles, liver, and fat cells, or a combination of the two above condition.
This will increase the glucose amount in the blood while on the other hand the cells are still starving for energy.
A prolonged condition of high blood glucose, also called hyperglycemia, can cause the damage of the blood vessels and nerves, which may lead to serious complications like heart disease and stroke, nerve problems, kidney disease, blindness, infections of the gum, and amputation.
Types of Diabetes There are three major types of diabetes mellitus, which are the type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is mostly found in the younger age like children, teenagers, or young adults.
In this type of diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas have been attacked by the body immune system hence the pancreas is not able to produce insulin anymore.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common type found in diabetes cases.
It could happen to people at any age, and even during childhood.
This form of diabetes usually started with a condition called insulin resistance.
This is a condition where the insulin is not properly used by the muscles, liver, and fat cells.
In the beginning, the pancreas tries to fulfill the additional demand by producing more insulin.
But at the end it loses the ability to secrete the sufficient amount of insulin to response food intakes, carbohydrates in particular.
Gestational diabetes may occur in some pregnant women at the late stages of gestation.
It usually disappears after the baby birth.
It is more likely that this group of women that experience such gestational diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes in their later life.
A hormonal imbalance or an insufficient amount of insulin seems to be the cause of this type of diabetes Terminology of Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Those are the latest terminology to describe the onset of two major types of diabetes, regardless to how it is treated related to insulin and the age of onset as it named in the past.
As recommended by the American Diabetes Association expert committee, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) agree the following terminology: Type 1 diabetes, as a more preferred name for the former Type 1, juvenile diabetes, Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM) Type 2 diabetes, to replace the former name of Type 2, adult onset diabetes, Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) Pre-diabetes, in this stage of diabetes blood glucose levels exceeds the normal standard, but still below the measures to be considered as diabetes.
In spite of this, there is still a great possibility that a pre-diabetic person will develop type 2 diabetes and most likely within the coming 10 years.
There is also an increase in the risk to acquire heart disease and stroke.
To prevent such development it is recommended to exert simple weight loss and moderate physical exercises or activities.