Diabetes Health Article

Definition

Diabetes is the Greek term for "passing through," a phrase used to describe multiple diseases characterized by excessive urination. There are multiple forms of diabetes. The most frequently described is diabetes mellitus, a chronic disorder involving the body's use of blood glucose (blood sugar) and the synthesis, or utility, of the hormone insulin. However, not all forms of diabetes involve glucose or insulin.

Description

Diabetes is a term used to describe multiple distinctive disorders that have the symptom of excessive urination in common. Although there are multiple forms of diabetes, the most common form is diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disorder of carbohydrate (sugar) metabolism. The word "mellitus" is Latin for "honey." Diabetes mellitus is characterized by abnormal, excessive levels of the sugar glucose in the blood, which is consequently passed through the urine. Most people always have some glucose in the blood to be used by cells for energy. Blood glucose originates from food ingested, the liver, and muscle cells. However, an excessive amount of glucose chronically present in the blood causes a variety of serious health complications.

Diabetics have excessive blood glucose because of a deficiency in the production or utilization of the hormone insulin. Insulin is made by the beta cells of the pancreas in response to the elevated glucose in the blood after a meal. Insulin binds to receptors on the body's cells to allow the passage of glucose into the cell as an energy source. Insulin stimulates cells to remove glucose from the blood, stimulates the liver to metabolize glucose, and thus causes the blood sugar level to return to normal. Diabetics have either a deficiency of insulin or defective insulin receptor binding. As a result, the cells of the body are unable to receive the glucose energy and are essentially starved, despite the energy source present in the blood. Because glucose is not entering the cells, it remains in the blood causing high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia. Chronic diabetes mellitus can lead to serious problems with the eyes, kidneys, nervous system, gums, and teeth. One of the most serious complications caused by diabetes is heart disease. Diabetics are more than twice as likely to develop cardiac disease or a stroke. The risk for diabetics equals that of an individual with a history of heart attacks. The use of cigarettes greatly increases the risk for vascular disease, nerve damage, and limb amputation.

Diabetes mellitus is divided into three main subtypes known as type I diabetes, type II diabetes, and gestational diabetes. Individuals can also develop a condition known as pre-diabetes that may develop into type II diabetes.

Type I diabetes was formerly called juvenile diabetes because it is usually first identified in children or young adults. It was also known as brittle diabetes and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Type I diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the body's immune system has attacked and destroyed the beta cells of the pancreas. As a result there is a shortage of insulin, and glucose cannot enter the cells. Bodily processes involving the storage of glucose as energy and the utilization of glucose are adversely affected. The body is essentially starved of the energy it needs for normal function.

Type II diabetes was formerly called adult-onset diabetes because it usually develops in people over the age of 40 years. However, individuals can develop type II diabetes at any age. Also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes, type II diabetes is the most common form. Type II diabetes is a condition in which the body's cells become insulin resistant and do not properly utilize the insulin being synthesized and secreted by the pancreas. In the beginning stages, the pancreas increases insulin production in response to the increased demand. However, as the disease progresses, the pancreas loses the ability to secrete sufficient insulin in response to meals.

The third subtype of diabetes mellitus is gestational diabetes. This is a form of glucose intolerance that may develop during the late stages of pregnancy. Pregnancy hormones or an insulin deficiency may cause gestational diabetes. During pregnancy, gestational diabetes requires treatment to normalize maternal blood glucose levels and avoid complications in the infant. Gestational diabetes usually disappears after the infant is born. However, females who have had gestational diabetes are more likely to develop type II diabetes in their later years.

Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are abnormally elevated, but not enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. This term is used to distinguish individuals who are at increased risk of developing diabetes type II. Individuals with pre-diabetes have impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), or both. IFG is a condition in which the fasting blood sugar level is elevated to a level between 100 and 125 mg/dL after an overnight fast, a value that is not high enough to be classified as diabetes. IGT is a condition in which the blood sugar level is elevated to between 140 and 199 mg/dL after a two-hour oral glucose tolerance test, a value that is not high enough to be classified as diabetes. Those individuals with pre-diabetes are at increased risk for developing type II diabetes, cardiac disease, and stroke. The risk of progressing into type II diabetes can be significantly lowered with moderate weight loss and physical activity.