Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease characterized in that the body is unable to regulate the amount of sugar that circulates in the blood. Consequently, there is too much sugar in the bloodstream.

For the body to function normally, sugar levels are required to stay within a certain range. Regulation in a healthy person is controlled by “insulin”, a hormone produced in the pancreas.

Diabetes mellitus occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or has become desensitized and the body cannot use it effectively. If the problem is not treated properly, the tissues are damaged and very serious complications appear.

The disease occurs in three modalities: type 1 diabetes mellitus, type 2 diabetes mellitus and gestational diabetes, the latter will be addressed in another article. Each of them has different causes, developments and treatments, although they have some traits in common.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus

Type 1 diabetes mellitus almost always manifests early in life : childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. The usual thing is that it appears abruptly. In most cases it has to do with deficient autoimmune processes. In particular, it is due to the autoimmune destruction of the cells of the pancreas.

There is a small group of patients with idiopathic Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. This subtype mainly affects people of Asian and African origin. The exact cause that originates it is unknown, but it is known that the hereditary factor has a lot of influence. In this case there are no immune alterations.

The International Diabetes Federation has reported that the number of patients with type 1 diabetes is increasing annually, progressively. It has not been possible to establish why, but it is suggested that this could be related to environmental conditions, feeding during childhood and / or viral infections. Type 1 diabetes mellitus has no cure.

Diabetes mellitus type 2

Typically, type 2 Diabetes Mellitus appears at an older age, generally after age 40. Despite this, the report of this disease has increased in younger people, and even in children.

This type of diabetes is around ten times more common than type 1. It is equivalent to between 90% and 95% of the cases of diabetes mellitus. It is caused by a low production of insulin and a poor use of that hormone. As a rule, in this case there is a hereditary history.

80% of people who develop type 2 diabetes mellitus are obese. The main risk factors are age, weight, and lack of physical activity. It is also more common in people with high blood pressure, fat metabolism disorders, and in women with a history of gestational diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is counteracted with a change in lifestyle. The most important thing is to lose weight and adopt healthy eating habits. Exercise is also essential to overcome the disease.

Symptoms and diagnosis

When there is a high level of sugar in the blood , typical symptoms appear such as the following: fatigue, excessive thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision, great appetite and weight loss. As noted above, type 1 diabetes comes on suddenly, while type 2 develops slowly.

Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus is made through a blood test. It is required that there be at least 8 hours of fasting before practicing the exam. This is because to some extent it is normal for sugar values ​​to rise after eating.

The most frequent test is the “fasting blood glucose” test, which we referred to in the previous paragraph. Additionally, the “Hemoglobin A1c (A1C) test” and in some specific cases the “oral glucose tolerance test” are also practiced.

As type 2 diabetes mellitus often has no symptoms, it is advisable to perform a blood test in people who are obese. It is also recommended that adults over 45 be screened once every three years.