Diabetes Mellitus: What Is It?
Diabetes mellitus refers to numerous disorders that affect how your body converts food into energy. From the Greek word “diabetes,” meaning to siphon or pass through, and the Latin word “mellitus,” meaning sweet. Diabetes affected 529 million people worldwide and 38.4 million Americans in 2021.
Untreated diabetes impairs insulin usage. High blood sugar occurs when glucose levels remain high. This can create serious or fatal health issues. Diabetes is incurable. With treatment and lifestyle adjustments, you can live long and healthy.
Prediabetes
Prediabetes is a condition where blood sugar levels are elevated but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. Normal blood sugar is 70–99 mg/dL. Patients with prediabetes have 110–125 mg/dL blood sugar.
Prediabetes rarely causes symptoms. Over a third of Americans have it, but 90% don’t know. Darkened neck, armpit, and groin skin may indicate prediabetes.
Occasionally, you may have other symptoms such as:
- Unaccounted weight fluctuation
- Desire for increased food intake Vulnerability
- Exhaustion Perspiration
- Impaired vision
- Wounds or contusions that exhibit prolonged healing
- Experiencing frequent skin infections or gum hemorrhaging
More than 70% of individuals with prediabetes subsequently progress to type 2 diabetes. You are also likely to begin experiencing harm to the heart, kidneys, and nerves.
These risks can be mitigated and prediabetes perhaps reversed by:
- Engaging in frequent physical activity
- Consuming a nutritious diet
- Preserving an optimal weight
- Regulating your stress levels
- Ceasing tobacco use
Your physician may prescribe drugs such as acarbose and metformin if you are unable to adhere to these lifestyle modifications or if you are at an elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is often referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. It was formerly referred to as juvenile-onset diabetes due to the belief that it predominantly commenced during childhood. Nevertheless, additional study has demonstrated that it occurs with equal frequency in both children and adults.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder that is exclusive to the pancreas. This occurs when the body mounts an immune response against the pancreas using antibodies. The organ is compromised and fails to produce insulin. It impacts 2 million individuals, include approximately 304,000 children and adolescents in the United States. It may also occur due to dysfunction in the pancreatic cells responsible for insulin production. Type 1 diabetes is not preventable.
Symptoms of Type 1 diabetes manifest rapidly, during a span of days to weeks. These comprise:
- Frequently experiencing thirst and hunger
- Increased urination
- Impaired visual acuity
- Exhaustion Unaccounted weight reduction
Approximately 30% of individuals with type 1 diabetes experience a life-threatening condition known as diabetic coma, characterized by loss of consciousness, as their initial symptom.
Seek emergency medical assistance if you or your kid exhibit any of these symptoms:
- Fruity-scented breath
- Desiccated or erythematous skin
- Queasiness
- Respiratory distress
- Inability to concentrate
- Ambiguity
- Emesis
- Abdominal discomfort
Numerous health complications associated with type 1 diabetes arise from damage to minute blood vessels in the eyes (diabetic retinopathy), nerves (diabetic neuropathy), and kidneys (diabetic nephropathy). Individuals with type 1 diabetes exhibit an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular accidents.
A physician may employ a test known as random plasma glucose (RPG) to assess blood sugar levels during the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. An A1c blood test may be utilized to assess your blood glucose levels throughout the preceding three months. Your physician employs it to assess the regulation of your blood glucose levels. This assists in assessing your risk of problems.
Treatment for type 1 diabetes necessitates the subcutaneous injection of insulin into adipose tissue. One may utilize:
- Syringes
- Insulin pens use prefilled cartridges and a slender needle
- Jet injectors utilize high-pressure air to deliver a spray of insulin transdermally.
- Insulin pumps that provide insulin via a tube to a subcutaneous catheter in the abdominal region
Individuals with type 1 diabetes must implement modifications, including:
- Regular monitoring of your blood glucose levels
- Meticulous meal planning
- Regular physical activity
- Administering insulin and additional pharmaceuticals, such as pramlintide or metformin, when required
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes was once referred to as non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset diabetes. However, it has become increasingly prevalent in children and adolescents over the past two decades, mostly due to a rise in overweight and obesity rates among youth. Approximately 90% of individuals with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.
In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas typically produces a certain amount of insulin. However, it may be insufficient or your body may not utilize it well. Insulin resistance occurs when cells, particularly in adipose tissue, the liver, and skeletal muscle, fail to respond adequately to insulin.
Type 2 diabetes is generally less severe than type 1 diabetes. However, it can still lead to significant health concerns, particularly in the minute blood vessels of the kidneys, nerves, and eyes. Type 2 diabetes also increases your risk of cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular accidents.
Individuals with obesity, defined as exceeding their goal body weight by over 20% relative to height, face a significantly elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes and associated health complications. Obesity frequently induces insulin resistance, necessitating increased insulin production by the pancreas. However, it remains insufficient to maintain your blood glucose levels within the desired range.
Management of type 2 diabetes include maintaining a healthy weight, adhering to a proper diet, and engaging in regular physical activity. Certain individuals require medication as well.
Gestational diabetes
Insulin resistance is common during pregnancy. Diabetes is gestational if it develops. Doctors usually find it in 2%-10% of pregnancies. In mid or late pregnancy, you may be diagnosed with:
Glucose challenge test, which measures sugar tolerance Or an oral glucose tolerance test to assess sugar use and storage.
It usually produces moderate symptoms like thirst or frequent urination. It disappears postpartum. Gestational diabetes increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease by 8-10 times.
If you have gestational diabetes, you must be screened for type 2 diabetes every three years for life.
Babies are more at risk from gestational diabetes than mothers. Controlling gestational diabetes protects the baby’s growth and development because blood sugars pass through the placenta.
A newborn may have extraordinary weight gain before delivery, problems breathing, or a higher risk of obesity and diabetes later in life. An abnormally large infant or heart, kidney, nerve, or eye problems may require a cesarean section.
Treatment for gestational diabetes:
- Proper meal planning to get essential nutrients without too much fat or calories
- Exercise daily
- Controlling weight increase
- Taking insulin if needed to regulate blood sugar
Monogenic Diabetes
A single gene alteration can seldom cause diabetes by affecting insulin production. This is monogenic diabetes. Parental inheritance is common for gene mutations. However, gene mutations might occur unexpectedly. 1%–4% of U.S. diabetes cases are monogenic.
Two basic kinds of monogenic diabetes include
- Baby diabetes, or neonatal diabetes
- Teen and young adult maturity-onset diabetes
Doctors often misdiagnose monogenic diabetes as type 2. A doctor may suspect monogenic diabetes if:
- Infants with diabetes are diagnosed before 6 months.
- Diabetes without type 1 or type 2 traits affects children and young adults, including individuals with a familial history.
- After fasting, blood sugar rises somewhat.
Secondary Diabetes
Secondary diabetes is a form of diabetes that occurs as a result of an underlying primary ailment, which may encompass:
- Endocrine dysfunctions or hormone-related disorders such as hypercortisolism (Cushing’s syndrome) and excess growth hormone (acromegaly)
- Pancreatic disorders
- Excessive iron accumulation
- Cystic fibrosis (CF)
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
- Corticosteroids may potentially induce secondary diabetes.
Treatment may encompass addressing the underlying cause, implementing lifestyle modifications, and administering insulin and other pharmacological agents to regulate blood glucose levels.
Difference Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are the predominant forms of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes impacts 1.3 million individuals in the U.S., while type 2 diabetes affects 37 million individuals.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system erroneously targets the pancreas, resulting in the cessation of insulin production. Genetic and environmental factors both contribute to the elicitation of this immunological response.
Type 2 diabetes is a hormonal disorder characterized by the body’s inadequate response to insulin, resulting in elevated blood glucose levels. Over time, the pancreas in individuals with type 2 diabetes may deteriorate in function, ultimately ceasing insulin production.
Symptoms of Type 1 diabetes typically manifest abruptly within a few days to one week. Symptoms of type 2 diabetes typically develop over a period of approximately one year.
Individuals with type 1 diabetes require insulin therapy due to the body’s inability to produce it. Individuals with type 2 diabetes require insulin alone when their pancreas ceases production.
Key Insights
Diabetes comprises a collection of disorders that influence the efficiency with which the body converts food into energy. It results in elevated blood glucose levels that may precipitate severe health complications such as cardiovascular disease, ocular impairment, cognitive decline, cerebrovascular accident, and renal damage. Your physician will administer treatment based on the specific type you possess. Insulin injections and antidiabetic medications may be necessary. They will also advocate for lifestyle modifications such as adhering to a nutritious diet and engaging in physical activity.
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Types of Diabetes Mellitus
Is type 2 diabetes controllable?
Indeed, type 2 diabetes is controllable with pharmacological interventions and the adoption of a balanced lifestyle.
What are the etiological factors of diabetes mellitus?
The etiology of diabetes varies according to its kind. It may be associated with your genetics, lifestyle, and familial history. All types of diabetes result in elevated blood sugar levels.
What are the distinctions between type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus?
Types 1 and 2 diabetes represent the most prevalent forms of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system assaults and impairs the pancreas, resulting in insufficient insulin production. Type 2 diabetes manifests when the body becomes ineffective at utilizing insulin.