Diabetes Mellitus

Glucose is the basic element that every cell uses in the human body to generate the power that runs the body movements and other processes of the body. The glucose level in the blood is blood sugar. An increase in the sugar level generates a group of diseases and the general term for these diseases is Diabetes Mellitus. In the other case when the sugar level in the blood decreases, hypoglycaemia disease happens. Thus, lowering and increasing the sugar level in the blood causes diseases.

In this topic, we will discuss the diseases that are due to the increase of sugar levels in the blood. The sugar or glucose level in the blood is controlled by insulin secreted by the pancreas gland. The insulin helps the sugar molecules to enter the cells. Diabetes Mellitus, in other words, is a disease in which the body cannot use glucose normally.

Types of Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes Mellitus disease happens at any age when body cells are not able to utilise all sugar present in the blood. There are three types of Diabetes Mellitus or simply, Diabetes.

• Type I: This type of diabetes can happen at any age, though it appears in children, teens and young age adults. In this disease, the body attacks itself (autoimmune reaction) and due to this, the pancreas stops making the lifesaver insulin. The patient suffering from type I diabetes has to take insulin injections daily to survive. To date, no one knows how to prevent it.
• Type II: This type of diabetes can also happen at any age, though it is common in people above 40 years of age. In this, the body is not able to use the insulin secreted by the pancreas fully and due to this body does not able to maintain the sugar level at normal. This disease is carried by the off-springs from their parents.
• Gestational diabetes: This type of disease happens during pregnancy and it goes away once the delivery happens. This disease increases the risk of type II diabetes at a later age. Gestational diabetes also creates a risk to the health of a newborn baby and he/she may have the risk of obesity in childhood or in teenage. This increases the risk of type II diabetes in the later age of child too.

Apart from these types of diabetes, another type of diabetes is prediabetes. Though in prediabetes, the sugar level is higher than normal it is not high enough to be detected by normal diabetes symptoms. It risks type II diabetes and heart diseases like stroke. So it is advisable that if a person’s parents have diabetes, he/she should check his/her sugar level regularly after the 40s.

Causes of Diabetes Mellitus

Depending on the type of diabetes, the causes are different. In type I diabetes, the immune system that fights with harmful viruses and bacteria, starts attacking and destroying the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas and due to this body has little or no insulin and therefore, the sugar present in the blood gets accumulated instead of going into the cells for processing. Why the immune system starts to behave in this manner is not known to date.

In the case of prediabetes and type II diabetes, the cells become too resistant against the insulin to allow it to enter the sugar from the blood into the cell. Due to this, the level of unutilised sugar increases in the blood. The production of insulin in the pancreas is also not enough to overcome this resistance from the cells. This condition occurs after a certain age, early 40s, and in children whose parents have a history of diabetes. Other causes include overweight, overeating junk foods and immobilization.

Gestational diabetes happens in the pregnancy. During this period, the placenta releases hormones to sustain pregnancy which in turn, make the cells resist insulin utilization. Though during this period, the pancreas also produces extra insulin to overcome this situation sometimes it does not keep the product enough and sugar starts accumulating in the blood and which causes gestational diabetes.

Symptoms of Diabetes Mellitus

Depending on the increased level of sugar in the blood, symptoms vary with the types of diabetes. There are some common symptoms for type I and type II diabetes, such as slowing healing sores, increased thirst and hunger, little and frequent urination, irritability, weight loss, fatigue, blurred vision, frequent skin or gum infections and presence of ketones in the urine. When the level of sugar becomes high enough, the control on body movements is also down. Due to this, the risk of falling while even walking may happen.

Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus

In type I diabetes, the immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells. Therefore, insulin injections are the only solution to this type of disease. Continuous demand for insulin by the body has to be fulfilled from an outer source. Nowadays, insulin belts and pens are available that release the prescribed quantity of insulin in proper duration. Depending upon the reaction time and duration of activity of insulin, there are four types of injections, namely, Rapid-acting, short-acting, intermediate-acting and long-acting insulin.

In type II diabetes, by doing diet control, increasing physical activities like regress walking, exercise and jogging, a person can control and maintain the sugar level. If these lifestyle changes do not affect the level of sugar then medication is the only solution.

In pregnancy, women should monitor their sugar level by checking it on a regular basis. If the doctor suggests exercises then they should do. Dietary changes can also help to reduce the level of sugar but again, after the consultation with a doctor.

Frequently Asked Questions on Diabetes Mellitus

Q.1: What are the three big signs of diabetes?

Answer: There are three big signs to identify diabetes. These are:

1. Polyphagia – This indicates the increase in hunger and frequency of it also.
2. Polyuria – This indicates little and frequent urination, particularly at night, and
3. Polydipsia – This indicates an increase in thirst.

Q.2:  What will happen if diabetes is treated properly?

Answer: Though the symptoms of diabetes are visible if the disease is not attended to properly can create problems to the body and can affect the normal working of it. Improper treatment of diabetes can lead to problems related to the senses and this can damage the nervous system. This can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases like heart attack, stroke or coronary artery disease with chest pain. Diabetes can damage kidneys, eyes, dry gangrene in the foot (the last solution is amputation if left untreated), hearing impairment, skin becoming prone to bacterial or fungal infection and dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Q.3: What are the complications that can develop in women due to gestational diabetes?

Answer: Major complications observed in gestational diabetes are high blood pressure, excess protein in the urine and swelling in the legs and feet. This condition is termed preeclampsia. This increases the risk to the mother and unborn baby and does life-threatening complications. A woman suffering from gestational diabetes in her first pregnancy has chances of gestational diabetes in her later pregnancies. Another risk in this disease is that the patient may develop type II diabetes when she gets older.