Diabetes mellitus is a disease that causes higher than normal blood sugars in its sufferers. It is of two types: (1) Type I diabetes, which normally affects young people. It occurs when the body doesn't make enough insulin to rid the body of excess sugar. The only way to treat that disease is to provide insulin to make up for the lost insulin from the pancreas. (2) Type II diabetes generally affects older people and is a condition where the body makes insulin but the cells of the body don't respond to the insulin in the body.
The disease of diabetes mellitus affects 20.8 million people in the US or 7% of the total population. Nearly 6 million of them do not know they have the disease. Both genetics and environment and heredity play a role in who gets diabetes and who doesn't. Poor dietary habits and obesity play a large role in the development of type II diabetes.
There are many people who don't have diabetes mellitus but who are suffering from prediabetes, also sometimes called insulin resistance. Their body doesn't respond well to the insulin made by the pancreas but the situation isn't bad enough to raise the blood sugar levels yet. The body has higher than normal amounts of insulin in the system but it is enough to compensate for the blood sugar. Eventually, however, many prediabetics go on to develop diabetes in a few years.
There are several tests for diabetes mellitus. The first is a fasting blood sugar. This is normally less than 100 mg per deciliter. In prediabetes, the number is often between 100 and 120 mg per deciliter. In diabetics, the number is often above 120 milligrams per deciliter and is often much higher than that.
The other test for diabetes mellitus is called the ?three hour glucose tolerance test? or ?3 hr GTT?. This involves getting a fasting blood sugar and then giving the individual a small bottle of highly sugared liquid to drink. Then the blood sugar is tested at one hour, two hours and three hours after drinking the sugared liquid. If any number is above 200, then diabetes is diagnosed.
Another test for diabetes mellitus is to check the glycosylated hemoglobin level. This is a measure of the amount of ?sugar coated? blood cells in the body. The normal level is 6.0 and numbers above that is felt to be diabetes.
The treatment for diabetes mellitus is different depending on the type of diabetes the person has. Type I diabetes is almost always treated by insulin shots. This is because there is no insulin being put out by the pancreas and so insulin must be replaced. Type II diabetes is often treated with diet and medications. The medications are those that make the cells of the body respond better to the insulin being provided by the pancreas. There are also medications that act to lower the blood sugar directly.
Those with diabetes mellitus must check their blood sugars frequently with a glucometer or blood glucose meter. This may need to be done as often as six or more times per day for type I diabetes and the values reached determine the amount of insulin the person needs per dose. Insulin shots are given before each meal and sometimes at bedtime. Type II diabetics don't often need to check their blood sugars that often. Sometimes it is just checked in the morning and then after the evening meal.
Patients With Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes mellitus can also be referred to as 'diabetes'. Experts feel that this is a syndrome that can be characterized by abnormal levels of blood sugar and disordered metabolism. The disease results from reduced levels of the hormone insulin with or without resistance of the body towards effects of insulin.
The symptoms of existence of this disease include frequent urination, increase fluid intake, weight loss, blurred vision and lethargy or fatigue. One may not experience these symptoms if the blood sugar is only mildly increased.
A) There are three primary forms of diabetes as mentioned below:
a)Type1 diabetes
b)Type2 diabetes
c)Type 3 diabetes or gestational
All the above mentioned three types of diabetes are caused by different reasons. The main reason for occurrence of the above mentioned three types of diabetes remains inability of pancreas's beta cells to produce adequate insulin in order to prevent triggering of the condition known as hypoglycemia.
B) The cause, however are different for the occurrence of all three types of diabetes.
a)Type1 diabetes:
This occurs due to destruction of autoimmune tendency of pancreatic beta cells.
b)Type2 diabetes:
The disease can be easily characterized by resistance of insulin in tissues. This results in the requirement for higher amounts of insulin. The final result is diabetes that develops when beta cells are not able to meet the demand of insulin amount.
c)Gestational diabetes:
It is quite similar to type2 diabetes. When it comes to involving resistance of insulin, the hormones of pregnancy can also result in resistance of insulin. This type of diabetes usually gets resolved as soon as the birth of baby takes place.
Type1 and Type2 diabetes are chronic conditions. There is no permanent cure for these conditions.
The treatment of diabetes can be done only via injecting insulin. Experts mean that dietary factors and certain lifestyle changes are also required for better treatment effects. When it comes to Type2 diabetes the management of the disease can be effectively done via combining dietary treatment, injections, tablets and insulin supplements.
The production of insulin is from natural sources like porcine pancreas. However, most insulin widely used these days are produced via genetic engineering. This is either done as a direct copy of human insulin or same insulin in conjunction with modified molecules that provide different onset and action duration. The same insulin can also be obtained via a specialized pump that provides insulin via changeable catheter.
All three types of diabetes have certain signs and symptoms so that one can identify the disease in the body.
C) Here are some of the signs and symptoms of diabetes to facilitate you to detect the traces of this disease as early as possible.
a)Rapid weight loss can be seen in Type1 diabetes.
b)Type2 diabetes can be characterized by changes in the shaped of the lenses of the eyes and blurred vision.
c)People with Type1 diabetes may also suffer from diabetic ketoacidosis or DKA. It is an extreme state of metabolic dysregulation. It is usually characterized by a typical smell of acetone in the patient's breath.
d)Other symptoms include polyuria, Kussmaul breathing, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting and several states of consciousness or arousal. In certain severe cases, coma may also follow leading to death.
Remember that it is very important to treat diabetes mellitus to avoid serious health complications.
Both Michael Webb & Bertil Hjert are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Michael Webb has sinced written about articles on various topics from Diabetes Treatment, Diabetes and Diabetes Treatment. brings you the latest news on the diabetes mellitus disease. Diabetes mellitus is ever increasing each day. Check out our latest i. Michael Webb's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.
Bertil Hjert has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight, Health and Acid Reflux. For more Articles, News, Information, Advice, and Resources about DIABETES please visit and. Bertil Hjert's top article generates over 246000 views. to your Favourites.
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