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Diabetes Mellitus

This condition is related to the hormone insulin released by Pancreas whose job is to help your body store & use the fat and sugar from the food you consume.

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The Role of Insulin

 

To understand how insulin is related to diabetes, it’s important to know how the human body uses food for energy. The cells in your body need food to make energy. Whenever you consume anything, your body breaks down the food into ‘glucose’ - a simple sugar form.

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This glucose is then transferred from your blood to the body cells to provide your body with the energy it needs to carry on day-to-day activities. The glucose in your blood is closely regulated by insulin.

 

If the glucose level in your blood rises, the insulin will push the extra glucose into your body cells. Due to this, the level of glucose in your blood goes down. If the glucose level gets too low in your body, the body will signal you to eat and release some glucose to provide you with energy.

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Now, diabetes can occur in either of the following cases:

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  • If the pancreas isn’t producing insulin

  • If the pancreas is producing very little insulin

  • In case of ‘insulin resistance’ – a condition wherein body isn’t responding appropriately to insulin

 

These conditions lead to high levels of sugar in your blood. In medical terms, if your blood has glucose level of 126 mg/dL (milligrams/decilitre) or above, even after an overnight fast – you’re suffering from ‘diabetes mellitus’.

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Types of Diabetes
 
Type 1 Diabetes

 

It occurs when beta cells in the pancreas (cells that produce insulin) are destroyed due to worsening immune system of the body. Patients require using insulin injections to control blood sugar as their body is unable to produce insulin.

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This type of diabetes mostly occurs in individuals under 20 years’ age. However, it can occur in other ages, too.

 
Type 2 Diabetes

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Unlike type 1 diabetes, insulin is produced in type 2 diabetes but either the body becomes insulin resistant or the insulin is simply not enough for the body. If insulin is not being used as it should be, glucose can’t reach the body cells.

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Though type 2 diabetes is still preventable, it is still the leading cause for many health complications such as chronic kidney disease, non-traumatic amputations and even blindness.

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This particular type of diabetes normally occurs in individuals who are overweight or over the age of 40. It can also occur to people who aren’t overweight.

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Gestational Diabetes

 

It usually occurs in pregnant women. This happens because hormone changes during pregnancy don’t let the insulin work properly in pregnancy.

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Pregnant women who are more than 25 years old, were already overweight before pregnancy and have a medical history of diabetes in their family are more prone to getting gestational diabetes.

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If left untreated, it can increase the risk of complications for the mother as well as the unborn child.

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Though the blood sugar levels return to regular levels in 6 weeks after delivery, patients are at an increased risk of getting type-2 diabetes later in life.

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Symptoms

 

Type 1 diabetes’ symptoms can be severe and they often occur suddenly. These symptoms can be:

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  • Feeling thirsty all the time

  • Increased hunger (even after eating)

  • Frequent urination

  • Dry mouth

  • Unexplained & sudden weight loss (even though continuously feeling hungry and eating)

  • Fatigue (feeling weak & tired)

  • Blurred vision

  • Labored & heavy breathing

  • Loss of consciousness in rare cases

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Type 2 diabetes’ symptoms develop gradually are very much similar to the above-mentioned symptoms. Some of the other symptoms can be:

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  • Cuts/Sores taking too much time to heal

  • Skin itching (especially in the groin or genital area)

  • Sudden weight gain

  • Yeast infections

  • Sexual dysfunction

  • Numbness/tingling in feet & hands

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Diagnosis

 

Below listed are some major tests used for diabetes:

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Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG) Test

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It measures the level of glucose in your blood after a fast of at least 8 hours. This test provides the most reliable results if done in the morning. Here’s a table of FPG test results and their respective meanings:

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  • 99 & below - Normal

  • In between 100 to 125 - Prediabetic

  • 126 & above - Diabetic

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Oral Glucose Tolerance (OGT) Test

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You need to do an 8 hours fasting in this test as well. Besides fasting, you’ll have to get your plasma glucose tested immediately before & 2 hours after you drink water with at least 75 grams of glucose dissolved in it.

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Here’s a table of OGT test results and their respective meanings:

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  • In between 140 & 199 - Prediabetic (more likely to develop type-2 diabetes)

  • 200 & above - Diabetic (should be confirmed on another day)

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Random Plasma Glucose Test

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In this test, the doctor will check your sugar levels randomly without any regard for the timing of your last meal. If the results show that you have got a blood sugar level of 200 mg/dL or 11.1 millimoles per liter (mmol/L) or above, it means that you’ve diabetes.

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Treatment

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Diabetes is a not-to-be-taken lightly disease. Ideally, your diabetes treatment team should include an endocrinologist (diabetes specialist), nutritionist, a foot doctor and an eye doctor.

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Prevention

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Though diabetes can't be cured completely, you can still keep it in check. You can achieve this goal by:

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  • Keeping the sugar levels in your blood near to normal by taking your medications on time, balancing your food and doing physical activity.

  • Planning your diet & following a balanced meal plan.

  • Avoiding processed starches & added sugars to reduce intake of cholesterol & saturate fat. 

  • Keeping your blood pressure in check, it shouldn’t go over 130/80.

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