DIABETIC MELLITUS
Diabetes mellitus (DM), is a metabolic disorder that causes high blood sugar levels. Our pancreas either doesn’t make enough insulin or our body is resistant to insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that transfers blood glucose into cells to use as ATP (energy).
Diabetic mellitus is a chronic disease. There are several types of diabetes including type 1 DM, type DM 2, maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY), Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA), and gestational diabetes.
Diabetes can cause serious health problems, including silent Heart attack, Stroke, Kidney failure, Permanent vision loss, Foot ulcers, neurological problems, and amputation.
Symptoms of diabetes include:
- Frequent urination- High blood sugar levels can cause the kidneys to filter out the excess sugar, leading to increased urine production.
- Increased thirst- Frequent urination can lead to dehydration, which causes excessive thirst.
- Fatigue
- Blurred vision- High blood sugar levels can cause fluid shifts to the tissues, including the lens of both eyes, which can lead to blurry vision.
- Unexplained weight loss
- Numbness or tingling sensation in your hand or feet.
- Slow-healing wounds- High blood sugar levels can impair the body’s ability to heal.
- Frequent skin and vaginal yeast infections due to high sugar in blood.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is more common in adults and overall most common type of all diabetes types. Type 2 diabetic patients’ cells are resistant to insulin thus blood sugar does not move to cells and the body does not utilize blood sugar.
Type 1 diabetes mellitus can develop at any age but occurs most frequently in children and adolescents. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces a very small amount or no insulin, type 1 diabetic patients need daily insulin injections to keep blood glucose levels in control.
Gestational diabetes (GDM) high blood glucose during pregnancy probably after 20 weeks of gestational and is associated with complications for both mother and child. GDM usually resolves after pregnancy but women affected and their child at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
Treatment is a lifestyle modification, including increased physical activity a healthy diet less carbohydrates and sugar, Losing weight, and avoiding fad meals.
Most people with type 2 diabetes will require oral hypoglycaemic drugs like Metformin, Glimepiride, Voglibose (postprandial), and Sitagliptin, etc.
Very high blood glucose levels need insulin to keep blood glucose levels under control.