Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which the glucose metabolism is affected, causing the level of glucose in blood to increase (hyperglycaemia). Glucose can be found in the urine too in patients who suffer of this affection. The accumulation of glucose in blood is caused by an insufficient secretion of insulin or by a malfunction of the insulin. Insulin is produced by the pancreas and its role is to take the glucose from the blood and make it enter the cells of the body which use it for producing energy.



If the glucose metabolism is affected the body gives signals to the brain which will increase hunger and so more food will be eaten. This way the glucose level in blood will increase more rapidly causing toxic products to appear (ketones). If these products are not discovered soon they will cause diabetic ketoacidosis which is a life-threatening condition.

Treatment of diabetes focuses on lowering the level of glucose in the blood and on protecting the patient from the consequences this disease causes.

Diabetes is classified into three types: type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes.

The first two types are chronic affection and the third one disappears after pregnancy is done.

Type 1 is known to occur during childhood and was named as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The pancreas is not able to produce the insulin any more as the cells responsible to this process have been destroyed by the body. These patients require insulin injections permanently.

Diabetes type 2, also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus occurs mostly during adulthood. In this case the insulin is not produced in sufficient quantities or it is not effective on the body cells.

Type 1 is not as frequent as type 2 is. In 1995 there were known to exist 430,700 Australians who suffered of diabetes. 19% of them were affected by diabetes type1. The rest were considered to be mostly type 2 diabetic patients. Nowadays scientists believe that for every diagnosed type 2, there is one other undiagnosed type 2 patient.

In some cases diabetes is a result of a misuse of certain drugs, or a result of a different affection like: endocrine diseases, pancreatic diseases, infections, genetic diseases, and misusage of drugs and chemicals.

The treatment will help the patient control the level of glucose in blood and ameliorate the symptoms; the doctor will also help the patient letting him know what he is allowed to eat and what he must avoid; will advise him what to do when he feels sick and will tell him where he can procure his diabetes supplies.

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