What is Diabetes Mellitus?

What is Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is one of the  oldest known diseases.  As of 2000 at least 171 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes, or 2.8% of the population.

What is Diabetes or Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes is as old as human civilization. Noted that the victims of this disease frequently passed large amount of sugar containing urine which attracted ants.  Therefore it was called Madhu Meha (Honey Urine). The name was given because the disease acted like a siphon on its victims – melting down flesh and limbs in urine.

Diabetes Mellitus is a disorder that affects the way your body uses food for energy. Normally, the sugar you take in is digested and broken down to a simple sugar, known as glucose. The glucose then circulates in your blood where it waits to enter cells to be used as fuel. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, helps move the glucose into cells. A healthy pancreas adjusts the amount of insulin based on the level of glucose. But, if you have diabetes, this process breaks down, and blood sugar levels become too high

There are two main types of full-blown diabetes. People with Type 1 diabetes are completely unable to produce insulin. People with Type 2 diabetes can produce insulin, but their cells don’t respond to it. In either case, the glucose can’t move into the cells and blood glucose levels can become high. Over time, these high glucose levels can cause serious complications.

Pre-Diabetes:

Pre-diabetes means that the cells in your body are becoming resistant to insulin or your pancreas is not producing as much insulin as required. Your blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be called diabetes. This is also known as “impaired fasting glucose” or “impaired glucose tolerance”. A diagnosis of pre-diabetes is a warning sign that diabetes will develop later. The good news: You can prevent the development of Type 2 diabetes by losing weight, making changes in your diet and exercising.

Type 1 Diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is characterized by loss of the insulin-producing  beta cells of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas leading to insulin deficiency.  This type of diabetes can be further classified as immune-mediated or idiopathic.  The majority of type 1 diabetes is of the immune-mediated nature, where beta cell loss is a T-cell mediated autoimmune attack.

A person with Type 1 also called Juvenile diabetes or insulin dependent mellitus (IDDM) can't make any insulin.Type 1 most often occurs before age 30, but may strike at any age. Type 1 can be caused by a genetic disorder.

The pancreas produces very little or no insulin anymore. Frequent insulin injections are needed for type 1.

 Type 2 diabetes mellitus is characterized by insulin resistant which may be combined with relatively reduced insulin secretion. The defective responsiveness of body tissues to insulin is believed to involve the insulin receptor. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type.

A person with Type 2 diabetes mellitus has adequate insulin, but the cells have become resistant to it. Type 2 usually occurs in adults over 35 years old, but can affect anyone, including children. The statistics reveals that 95 percent of all diabetes cases are Type 2. Why? It’s a lifestyle disease, triggered by obesity, a lack of exercise, increased age and to some degree, genetic predisposition

Diabetes Mellitus  is a chronic disorder characterized by high blood sugar levels and abnormal metabolism of carbohydrate, protein and fat. The disease is a result of the failure of the body to control blood sugar levels adequately. The normal fasting blood sugar levels are in the range of 75-115 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter of blood). After a meal, the body  tightly regulates increases in blood sugar to a level not exceeding 180 mg/dl in people without diabetes.

In a normal person, food which is made up of protein, carbohydrate and fat is digested by the enzymes in the digestive tract. Glucose, a simple sugar is an important end product of digestion. It is absorbed into the bloodstream and transported to the various cells in the body where it is utilized as a fuel to provide energy for the various life activities. Insulin is a hormone which acts as a key that opens the doors of the cells to allow glucose to enter. Insulin is produced in the body by beta cells, specialized cells located in the islets of langerhans of the pancreas.

Symptoms of Diabetes Mellitus:-

People with diabetes mellitus frequently experience certain symptoms. These include:

• being very thirsty
• frequent urination
• weight loss
• increased hunger
• blurry vision
• irritability
• tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
• frequent skin, bladder or gum infections
• wounds that don’t heal
• extreme unexplained fatigue

In some cases, there are no symptoms — this happens at times with type 2 diabetes mellitus . In this case, people can live for months, even years without knowing they have the disease. This form of diabetes mellitus comes on so gradually that symptoms may not even be recognized.

Who gets diabetes mellitus ?

Diabetes mellitus can occur in anyone. Other risk factors include obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and physical inactivity. The risk of developing diabetes mellitus also increases as people grow older. People who are over 40 and overweight are more likely to develop diabetes, although the incidence of type 2 diabetes in adolescents is growing.

As per estimates in  2000 at least 171 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes mellitus, or 2.8% of the population.  Its incidence is increasing rapidly, and it is estimated that by 2030, this number will almost double. The increase in incidence of diabetes in developing countries follows the trend of urbanization and lifestyle changes, perhaps most importantly a “Western-style” diet.

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