Diabetes hinders your body from properly handling and utilizing glucose from your food. Diabetes comes in many types, each with its own range of problems, but they are all defined by an accumulation of glucose in the blood. Adopting a healthy lifestyle, Insulin, and other medicines used as treatments can help prevent or control diabetes.
What Is Diabetes Mellittus?
Diabetes Mellitus is a symptom of the metabolic disorder that result in high blood sugar.
Diabetes can be caused due to low production of insulin in the body or difficulty for the body to use insulin it produces efficiently.
Insulin helps to transfer sugar from the blood to the cells to be preserved or used as fuel. If it breaks down, you can have diabetes.
Untreated diabetes-related elevated blood sugar can damage your kidneys, nerves, and other organs in the body. You can, however, protect your health by learning about diabetes and adopting measures to avoid or control it.
The Different Types Of Diabetes
There are about five types of diabetes:
Diabetes Type 1
Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disorder. Insulin-producing cells inside the pancreas are targeted and killed by the immune system. The source of the attack is unknown.
Diabetes Type 2
Type 2 Diabetes occurs when the body is resistant to insulin, this results in an increase in blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes affects around 90% of adults, making it the most common type.
Type 1.5
Another name for Type 1.5 diabetes is the Latent autoimmune diabetes in adulthood (LADA). It is very similar to type 2 diabetes and it develops gradually over time. LADA is an autoimmune disease that cannot be cured by modifying one’s diet or lifestyle.
Gestational Diabetes (In Pregnancy)
Gestational Diabetes occurs when there is excessive blood sugar when pregnant. This type of diabetes is caused by chemicals secreted by the placenta that inhibit insulin.
Note: Diabetes insipidus, despite having the name diabetes is totally unrelated to diabetes mellitus. Diabetes insipidus occurs when your kidneys remove too much fluid from the body.
Prediabetes
Prediabetes occurs when your blood sugar levels are higher than usual but just not severe enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. It occurs when your body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin. However, type 2 diabetes may develop as a result of prediabetes. Experts estimate that more than one-third of Americans have prediabetes, although more than 80% are totally unaware of they have the disease.
Common Signs of Diabetes
Diabetes is characterized by an increase in blood sugar. The symptoms of type 1, 2, and 1.5 (LADA) are similar, but they develop faster than types 2 and 1.5. Type 2 diabetes usually has a gradual onset. Prickling nerves and slow-healing lesions are more common in type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes, in particular, can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis if left untreated. The body’s concentration of ketones is very dangerous at this point. Although less common in other types of diabetes, it is nonetheless possible.
Diabetes’s usual indications and symptoms include:
- Increased appetite
- Excessive hunger
- Weight loss
- Blurred vision
- Acute fatigue
- Non-healing sores
- Constant urination
Diabetic Symptoms In Males
In addition to the typical symptoms, diabetic men may experience the following:
- Erectile problems
- Weak muscles
- Leaking Urines
Diabetic Symptoms In Women:
- Urinary Tract Infections
- Candida infections
- Itching and dry skin
- Dry vagina
Gestational Diabetes
The vast majority of pregnant women with gestational diabetes have no symptoms. Medical personnel typically discover the problem when doing a routine oral glucose tolerance test or blood sugar test, which is commonly performed between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy. In exceedingly rare cases, a pregnant diabetic may also experience increased thirst or urination.
Causes Of Diabetes Mellitus
Each of the four type of diabetes has its own distinct cause.
Diabetes Type 1
According to medical practioners, the cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown. For unknown reasons, the immune system mistakenly attacks and kills insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Genes may have an impact on some people. A virus can also trigger an attack on the immune system.
Diabetes Type 2
Type 2 diabetes is as a result of both inheritable and environmental factors. Being overweight or obese raises your risk, too. Carrying excess weight, particularly in your belly, causes your cells to be more resistant to the impact that insulin has on your blood sugar.
This problem is more common in families. Family members that possess these genes, make them more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Diabetes of Type 1.5
Type 1.5 autoimmunity occurs if your own antibodies target your pancreas which is what happens in type 1 diabetes l. Although more research is needed, it is possible that it is inherited.
Risk Factors For Diabetes
A variety of factors influence your risk of diabetes.
Diabetes Type 1
Type 1 diabetes is more prevalent in kids and teens, individuals with diabetic parents or siblings, and also those who have certain genes linked to the condition.
Diabetes Type 2
you are more likely to get type 2 diabetes, if you have any of the following:
- Have a weight problem
- 45 years old or older
- Don’t get enough exercise on a regular basis.
- High blood pressure
- Have a parent or sibling who suffers from the illnes
- Have been pre-diabetic
- Gestational diabetes
- High cholesterol levels
- Triglyceride levels are high.
Furthermore, type 2 diabetes affects particular racial and ethnic groups disproportionately.
According to data from 2016, adults with African American, Hispanic or Latino American, or Asian American heritage are more likely than white adults to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Additionally, they are more likely to encounter poorer treatment and greater self-management challenges.
Diabetes Type 1.5
Type 1.5 diabetes, which is more common in those over 30 and frequently mistaken for type 2, affects people without being overweight and is unresponsive to oral drugs and dietary adjustments.
Gestational Diabetes
You are more likely to develop gestational diabetes if you:
- Obese
- Above the age of 25
- Have had gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy
- Have given birth to a child weighing more than nine pounds
- Have been diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
Diabetes-Related Challenges
High blood sugar damages the tissues and organs in your body. Once your blood sugar level is above normal range for a prolonged period of time, your chances of having diabetic problems increases.
Diabetes-related complications include:
- Stroke
- Heart attack
- Heart disease
- Neuropathy
- Nephropathy
- Retinopathy
- Reduced eyesight
- Loss of hearing
- Foot infection, including bacterial and fungal infections, non healing wounds, infections and sores
- Depression
- Dementia
Obstetric Diabetes:
If gestational or obstetric diabetes is not managed, both the mother and the unborn child may experience problems. These are some examples of baby-related complications:
- Early birth
- Greater-than-average birth weight,
- A higher lifetime risk of developing type 2 diabetes
- Low blood sugar
- Jaundice
- Stillbirth
Having gestational diabetes during pregnancy increases a woman’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. You might also need a C-section, often known as a cesarean delivery.
Gestational diabetes is also more likely to develop in subsequent pregnancies.
Managing Diabetes
Several different drugs are used by doctors to treat diabetes. Some are ingested, while others can be obtained via injections.
Diabetes Types 1 and 1.5
The major treatment for type 1 and type 1.5 diabetes is insulin. It takes the place of the hormone that your body is unable to make.
Diabetics with type 1 and type 1.5 diabetes typically use several types of insulin. They differ in their rates of acting and the duration of their effects:
Rapid Acting Insulin: The rapid acting insulin begins to work in just 15 minutes and the effects last for 2 to 4 hours.
Short Acting Insulin: Short acting insulin begins to work in 30 minutes and lasts for 3 to 6 hours.
Intermediate Acting Insulin: Intermediate insulin starts working within two to four hours and lasts for twelve to eighteen hours.
Long Acting Insulin: The long acting insulin begins to function two hours after injection and lasts for up to twenty-four hours.
Ultra-long Acting Insulin: This insulin begins to work six hours after injection and lasts for at least 36 hours.
Premixed Insulin: The premixed insulin begins to operate within 15 to 30 minutes and lasts 10 to 16 hours depending on whether a rapid-acting or short-acting insulin is included in the mixture.
Diabetes Type 2
Some type 2 diabetics can control their condition with diet and exercise. However, if altering your lifestyle isn’t sufficient to lower your blood sugar levels, you will have to take medication.
These medications work in a number of ways to reduce blood sugar.
However, one or more of these medications may not be enough for you. Some individuals suffering from type 2 diabetes also take insulin.
Gestational Diabetes
If you are told you have gestational diabetes, you must check your blood sugar levels multiple times a day while you are pregnant. If it’s high, dietary adjustments and exercise may be sufficient to lower it.
15% to 30% of pregnant women who suffer gestational diabetes will need insulin to reduce their blood sugar, according to study. Insulin use is safe for the developing fetus.
Conclusion
Types 1 and 1.5 of diabetes are brought on by external sources. Better eating choices, more exercise, and weight loss can prevent other diabetes like type 2. Go over the dangers of diabetes with your doctor. Have your blood sugar checked if you’re at risk, and then manage your blood sugar according to your doctor’s recommendations.
References
Blum, Alyson K. “Insulin Use in Pregnancy: An Update.” Diabetes Spectrum : a Publication of the American Diabetes Association, U.S. National Library of Medicine, May 2016, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4865394/.
“Prediabetes – Your Chance to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30 Dec. 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/prediabetes.html.
Watson, Stephanie. “Diabetes: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, Prevention, and More.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 12 Dec. 2022, https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes#symptoms.
