What Causes Diabetes?

What do you need to know about the disease called by many as “the silent killer”? Diabetes, also known as Diabetes Mellitus, is a chronic disorder characterized by abnormally high glucose (which is a type of sugar) levels in the blood caused by a deficiency in insulin. Insulin is an important hormone produced by your pancreas necessary for the absorption of blood sugar. With no insulin, glucose will not enter your cells. Basically, when you lack insulin, your glucose levels rise, making your blood viscous and thick. This makes it harder for blood to flow through the small vessels. Diabetes can result because the pancreas either does not produce enough insulin, produces no insulin, or has cells that do not respond properly to the insulin the pancreas produces.

There are two types of Diabetes:

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus usually occurs in children and young adults. This type is defined as a near absolute deficiency of insulin. If insulin is not given, your body will metabolize fats instead of glucose for energy. Your fats are not supposed to be a source of energy, and this will lead to accumulation of fats called acidosis.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is the most common form and results when your cells become resistant to the action of insulin. Usually, insulin is sufficient to stabilize fat and protein metabolism but not enough to deal with carbohydrate metabolism. Obesity is a major risk factor for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Diabetes is not contagious. However, certain factors increase your risk of developing the disease. This includes obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol levels and genetics.

Symptoms for the two types are similar, although severity can vary depending on which type you have. The most common signs are excessive urination, extreme hunger and increased thirst. Other symptoms include blurring of vision, drowsiness, nausea, slow wound healing and fatigue during exercise. The diagnosis of diabetes is made when people have abnormally high levels of sugar in the blood. To measure, a blood sample is usually taken after people have fasted overnight.

Diabetes affects almost every part of life. It causes complications over time and can cause damage to the eyes, heart, legs, skin, kidneys and nerves. Some of these complications begin within months of the onset of diabetes, although most tend to develop after a few years. Most of the complications are progressive and can lead to cardiovascular diseases, optic neuropathy, chronic kidney failure, nerve damage, poor wound healing, gangrene on the feet which may lead to amputation, and erectile dysfunction. It’s a serious, lifelong condition, but there are measure proven to reduce risk of complications and protect health. Management concentrates on keeping your blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible. This is accomplished by observance of proper diet, weight control by exercise and use of prescribed medications, such as injection of insulin for Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and for Type 2 Diabetes, Oral Hypoglycemic Agents are given, drugs whose action is to make the resistant cells more receptive and sensitive to insulin.