I.
GENERAL
DEFINITION
Diabetes, often
referred to by doctors as diabetes mellitus, describes a group of metabolic
diseases in which the person has high blood glucose (blood sugar), either
because insulin production is inadequate, or because the body's cells do not
respond properly to insulin or both. Patients with high blood sugar will
typically experience polyuria (frequent urination), they will become
increasingly thirsty (polydipsia) and hungry (polyphagia).
II.
HISTORY
Diabetes comes from
Greek, and it means a "siphon". Aretus the Cappadocian, a Greek
physician during the second century A.D., named the condition diabainein. He
described patients who were passing too much water (polyuria) - like a siphon.
The word became "diabetes" from the English adoption of the Medieval
Latin diabetes.
In 1675, Thomas Willis
added mellitus to the term, although it is commonly referred to simply as
diabetes. Mel in Latin means "honey"; the urine and blood of people
with diabetes has excess glucose, and glucose is sweet like honey. Diabetes
mellitus could literally mean "siphoning off sweet water".
In ancient China people
observed that ants would be attracted to some people's urine, because it was
sweet. The term "Sweet Urine Disease" was coined.
III.
THE
MECHANISM OF ACTION
Glucose comes from the
food you eat and is also made in your liver and muscles. Your blood carries the
glucose to all of the cells in your body. Insulin is a chemical (a hormone)
made by the pancreas. The pancreas releases insulin into the blood. Insulin
helps the glucose from food get into your cells.
If your body does not
make enough insulin or if the insulin doesn't work the way it should, glucose
can't get into your cells. It stays in your blood instead. Your blood glucose
level then gets too high, causing pre-diabetes or diabetes.
Diabetes (diabetes
mellitus) is classed as a metabolism disorder. Metabolism refers to the way our
bodies use digested food for energy and growth. Most of what we eat is broken
down into glucose. Glucose is a form of sugar in the blood - it is the
principal source of fuel for our bodies.
When our food is
digested, the glucose makes its way into our bloodstream. Our cells use the
glucose for energy and growth. However, glucose cannot enter our cells without
insulin being present - insulin makes it possible for our cells to take in the
glucose.
Insulin is a hormone
that is produced by the pancreas. After eating, the pancreas automatically
releases an adequate quantity of insulin to move the glucose present in our
blood into the cells, as soon as glucose enters the cells blood-glucose levels
drop.
A person with diabetes
has a condition in which the quantity of glucose in the blood is too elevated
(hyperglycemia). This is because the body either does not produce enough
insulin, produces no insulin, or has cells that do not respond properly to the
insulin the pancreas produces. This results in too much glucose building up in
the blood. This excess blood glucose eventually passes out of the body in
urine. So, even though the blood has plenty of glucose, the cells are not
getting it for their essential energy and growth requirements.
IV.
TYPES
OF DIABETES
There are three main
kinds of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. The result of type
1 and type 2 diabetes is the same: glucose builds up in the blood, while the
cells are starved of energy. Over the years, high blood glucose damages nerves
and blood vessels, oftentimes leading to complications such as heart disease,
stroke, blindness, kidney disease, nerve problems, gum infections, and
amputation.
Ø Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes, which
used to be called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, develops
most often in young people. However, type 1 diabetes can also develop in
adults. With this form of diabetes, your body no longer makes insulin or
doesn’t make enough insulin because your immune system has attacked and
destroyed the insulin-producing cells.
To survive, people with
type 1 diabetes must have insulin delivered by injection or a pump.
Ø Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes, which
used to be called adult-onset diabetes or non-insulin-dependent diabetes, is
the most common form of diabetes. Although people can develop type 2 diabetes
at any age -- even during childhood -- type 2 diabetes develops most often in
middle-aged and older people.
Type 2 diabetes usually
begins with insulin resistance—a condition that occurs when fat, muscle, and
liver cells do not use insulin to carry glucose into the body’s cells to use
for energy. As a result, the body needs more insulin to help glucose enter
cells. At first, the pancreas keeps up with the added demand by making more
insulin. Over time, the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin when blood sugar
levels increase, such as after meals. If your pancreas can no longer make
enough insulin, you will need to treat your type 2 diabetes.
Ø Gestational Diabetes
Some women develop
gestational diabetes during the late stages of pregnancy. Gestational diabetes
is caused by the hormones of pregnancy or a shortage of insulin. Although this
form of diabetes usually goes away after the baby is born, a woman who has had
it and her child are more likely to develop diabetes later in life.
You can also watch this video, to help you understand more about this disease!
SOURCE:
2)http://nihseniorhealth.gov/
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