Diabetes Mellitus
Thursday, June 18, 2009
What is Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes Mellitus is one of the disease that caused high number of mortality. What is diabetes mellitus? According to WHO, Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or alternatively, when the body can not effectively use the insulin it produces. In 2005 alone, an estimated 1.1 million people in the world died from diabetes. This number projected will be increase by more than 50% in the next 10 years without urgent action.
Diabetes can occur to anybody in any age and any country, not only in the rich and modern country but also in poor and low income country. Based on WHO's data, mortality rate related to diabetes in low and middle-income countries is higher than upper-middle income countries.
What causes Diabetes?
Every human being need sugar in their body to use it as energy. But, the blood sugar level should be controlled in the normal range. That is main role of insulin hormone that produced by pancreas. In some condition, pancreas totally cannot produce insulin or it not enough to comply with body requirement. The other cause of diabetes is inability of the cells to use insulin properly and efficiently. These are two main cause that lead to hyperglycemia or high level sugar in the blood stream develops.
Types of Diabetes
There are two types of diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes formerly known as IDDM (insuline Dependent Diabetes Mellitus) or juvenile-onset diabetes. This type of diabetes usually develop in the early age, because of large part or totally from insuline producing cell of pancreas destroyed. The insuline production very little or totally stop. Patient need daily administration of insulin, otherwise will rapidly fatal. Type 1 diabetes has only about 10% from total diabetes patient.
Type 2 diabetes formerly known as NIDDM (Non Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus) or adult-onset diabetes. Different with type 1, this diabetes causes by ineffective use of insulin. The pancreas still produces enough of insulin. Largerly the result of obesity or excess body weight and physical inactivity. Continuing corticosteroid therapy can also leads to type 2 diabetes. Some people with excess growth hormone or with tumor may also develop diabetes.
Gestational diabetes is hyperglaecimia that first detected during pregnancy period.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Symptoms include polyuria or excessive excretion of urine, weight loss, polydipsia or thirst, constant hunger, vision change, blur, fatigue. In the type 1 diabetes, these symptom may occur suddenly. In the type 2 diabetes, people usually did not realize that they have diabetes. It may be diagnosed several years after onset with many complication already present.
Diabetes usually diagnosed with blood sugar level test.
The normal blood sugar level range from 70 to 100 milligrams of sugar per deciliter of blood (mg/dl) or 3.9 to 5.6 millimoles of sugar per liter of blood (mmol/L) after at least eight hours fasting. If you check your blood sugar level at any time after meal, snack or beverage, your blood sugar level should not more than 200 mg/dL or 11.1 mmol/L. The last methode to test the blood sugar is an oral glucose tolerance test, in which your fasting blood sugar will be measure. Then you drink a sugary solution, only after two hours your blood sugar level will be check again. The normal level is lower than 140 mg/dL or 7.8 mmol/L.
Pre Diabetes
Fasting blood sugar : 100 - 125 mg/dL (5.6 - 6.9 mmol/L)
Random blood sugar : 140 -199 mg/dL (7.8- 11 mmol/L)
Oral glucose tolerance : 140 - 199 mg/dL (7.8 - 11 mg/dL)
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
Fasting blood sugar : 100 - 125 mg/dL (5.6 - 6.9 mmol/L)
Random blood sugar : 200 mg/dL (11.1 mg/dL) or higher
Oral glucose tolerance : 200 mg/dL (11.1 mg/dL) or higher
Further test may required to differentiate between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Risk Factors
Obesity or excess body weight is the main risk factor for diabetes. Obese people need very big amount of insulin to maintains their blood sugar level in the normal range. Approximately 80 - 90% people with diabetes are obese.
Prolonged hydrocortisone treatment, pancreas diseases, pregnancy, tumors, and agromegaly ( excess of growth hormone) also can lead to diabetes.
Complications
Prolonged high blood sugar level or diabetes mostly will cause other diseases in connection with blood vessels. Hyperglaecimia over a long time cause narrowing either big or small blood vessels. As the result is decreasing blood flow in the big or small blood vessels and atherosclerosis. Over time, poor circulation and high level of blood sugar can harm the brain, eyes, arms, heart, kidneys, legs, skin and nerves.
Stroke, blur vision, diabetic retinopathy, blind, many cases of heart diseases such as angina, heart failure, kidney failure, skin infections, prolonged time of healing, and even amputation of the foot or part of the leg. The arm or leg become weak, as the result of single nerve malfunction. Loss of sensation that lead to repeated injuries to the hands, legs and feet because people cannot feel pain, hot, cold and even pressure.
Very high blood sugar sometimes cause excessive urination that lead to diabetic ketoacidosis. It is a medical emergency because it can cause coma and death. Rehydration with large amount of fluids must given intravenously along with electrolytes to replace loss fluids. Level of blood sugar, electrolytes and ketones are measuring periodically until goal's level achieved.
Treatment and prevention
The main goal in diabetes treatment is to maintain blood sugar level in the normal range. It include combination of education, exercise, diet and use of drugs for most people.
With learning and aware about diabetes and it's complication, people will get enough knowledge about diabetes management. They will understand what should do and not to do in order to maintain normal blood sugar level, and avoid complications. Actively life with exercise, balanced diet and efforts to maintain a healthy weight. Bassically, people should not eat excess sweet in their daily diet. Dietitian advice may needed to develop an optimal eating plan.
Drugs treatment for type 1 diabetes is a must. But with maintaining healthy weight and healthy active lifestyle, they may be able to avoid the need of larger doses of insulin. And for type 2 diabetes, they may no need to take an insulin or any diabetes pills if they can maintain healthy weight and lifestyle.
Physician will prescribe you the insuline type that you should take once, twice or even three times daily. There are four major types of insuline : rapid-acting, short-acting, intermediate-acting and long acting insuline. Differentiate between that four type of insuline is only based on it's acting time. There are so many oral medication for diabetes. These oral medication are taken as a single treatment or sometimes combined with insuline. The medications work in several different ways include : increase insulin production, reduce blood sugar production, inhibit blood sugar absorption and improve effectiveness of body's natural insuline.
At the end, preventive action is better to keep people from diabetes. Eating healthy diet, be physically active, control your body weight, and relax your mind seems helpful to prevent diabetes.
posted by faku @ 1:30 PM,
2 Comments:
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At April 1, 2013 at 10:01 PM,
Unknown said...
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This Article is really nice & informative but i have some more information & in deep details hope this will help you much better
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes—is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. This high blood sugar produces the classical symptoms of polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirst) and polyphagia (increased hunger).
There are three main types of diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes: results from the body's failure to produce insulin, and presently requires the person to inject insulin. (Also referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, IDDM for short, and juvenile diabetes.)
Type 2 diabetes: results from insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, sometimes combined with an absolute insulin deficiency. (Formerly referred to as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, NIDDM for short, and adult-onset diabetes.)
Gestational diabetes: is when pregnant women, who have never had diabetes before, have a high blood glucose level during pregnancy. It may precede development of type 2 DM.
Other forms of diabetes mellitus include congenital diabetes, which is due to genetic defects of insulin secretion, cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, steroid diabetes induced by high doses of glucocorticoids, and several forms of monogenic diabetes.
So simply diabetes mellitus is the specific medical name for all three main Diabetes type 1 , Diabetes type 2, Diabetes gestational (pregnancy related) and other forms that are listed above.
Hope this helps. -
At June 20, 2013 at 2:19 AM,
Unknown said...
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Recovery from Diabetes Mellitus.
First of all, that's a lot of questions to answer in the small space provided here, but I will try to give you some starting points.
Talking with your doctor is your best place to begin. He / she can steer you in the right direction toward meeting your health goals.
As for food.... consult with a registered dietician or nutritionist for professional advice. Some basic pointers are:
-- Avoid high-sugar content foods.Trade out regular soft drinks for more healthy options such as water, tea (not sweetened with sugar), or diet soft drinks.
-- Avoid high-carb foods. Carbs are often metabolized as glucose and will cause your blood sugar to rise in much the same fashion as sugary foods. Potatoes, pastas, and breads are among high-carb foods.
-- Avoid high-fat foods, in order to reduce cholesterol. Plan out low-fat meals and avoid frying when possible. Cholesterol and diabetes go hand in hand, so reducing one (also reducing your triglycerides) will have a positive effect on the other.
-- Avoid high-sodium foods. Try to watch your salt intake as much as possible. Sodium is a cause of high blood pressure, which is also a sister-syndrome of diabetes.
-- Avoid alcoholic beverages. Limit your alcohol intake to the minimal. While most alcoholic mixed drinks are high in sugar content (in the mixers) and beers are high in carbs, alcohol can actually cause hypoglycemic reactions.
When it comes to diabetic meal planning, portion control is really the main key. Limit your portion sizes and avoid over-indulging. Some sugar, carbs, fats, and salt are actually okay and are impossible to avoid, but avoid excess.
There is no set time interval at which you should eat, however it is recommended that you eat small snacks (healthy, of course) throughout the day and 3 meals a day. Being on a regular meal schedule has a major effect on your blood sugar levels so try to eat around the same time everyday.
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Unfortunately, there is no cure for diabetes, but with proper medical control you can definitely lead a healthy and happy life. Control is the key to taming the disease. Take medication as prescribed, eat the right diet, and exercise regularly.
There are great resources around in nearly every community so take advantage of those. Join a diabetic support group in your area or solicit the services of a Certified Diabetes Educator near you. Your local health department is likely a great resource as well when it comes to diabetes.
Good luck and best wishes...
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