Have you heard about someone close to you being diagnosed with diabetes recently? If you do, you are not alone. There are about 422 million people worldwide suffering from this condition.1 Most people know that diabetes is a disease that causes high blood sugar levels, but they do not have a complete understanding of it. So let us have a quick overview of the disease, its symptoms, types, and the ways to prevent it in under 2 minutes!
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes, or Diabetes Mellitus, is a group of diseases characterized by high blood glucose (sugar) levels and altered fat and protein metabolism. This is caused due to defects in insulin's (a hormone secreted by the pancreas) secretion, sensitivity, or both. 
In simple terms, the blood glucose level in your body rises high as the system that is supposed to manage it properly is damaged.
Should you be worried? Diabetes can be controlled with appropriate measures. However, uncontrolled blood sugar levels can cause blindness and kidney problems in the long-term. It is also one of the main reasons for thousands of lower extremity amputations every year. A cardiovascular event is responsible for 2/3 deaths in patients with type 2 diabetes. So you can understand it can be serious if not managed properly.
Symptoms of Diabetes Mellitus:
A large majority of the population remains pre-diabetic before being diagnosed with diabetes. You have to consult a doctor if you find any of the following symptoms regularly3
- Increase in thirst
- Increased frequency of urination
- Increase in hunger
- Unexpected Weight loss
- Blurred Vision
- Decrease in the healing speed of sores
- More frequent infections
- Fatigue
- Irritation
Types of Diabetes Mellitus:
- Type 1 Diabetes- Insulin is secreted by the beta cells of Langerhans in the pancreas. This type of diabetes is caused due to the autoimmune destruction of these beta cells. This means that the defensive mechanisms of your body attack its own cell hence damaging itself. If you have developed diabetes in childhood or adolescence, it is more likely to be type 1.
- Type 2 Diabetes- This type of diabetes can be caused by impairment in insulin secretion or reduced sensitivity of cells to insulin. It has late-onset, i.e., you are likely to have this type of diabetes if you are middle-aged or older. You might be at a higher risk of diabetes if you have a strong genetic predisposition and abdominal obesity. Patients with type 2 diabetes are also at higher risk of cardiovascular complications.
- Gestational Diabetes- The hormonal changes during pregnancy can cause insulin resistance. This leads to a rise in the blood glucose levels of the mother. If you are going through pregnancy and dealing with high blood glucose levels, you might have gestational diabetes. Most of the time, this type of diabetes goes away after the baby is born.
How to Prevent Diabetes Mellitus?
- Say no to foods with high amounts of sugars and saturated fats.
- Maintain healthy body weight.
- Avoid smoking as it increases the risks of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
- Be physically active- may it be sports, weight lifting, swimming, or walking.
How to Manage Diabetes?
Once diagnosed, you can manage the condition with diet, regular exercise, and lifestyle measures along with some regular medicines. Taking the medicine regularly is very important to keep the condition in check and avoid serious health complications.
Lucky Mehtani is a freelance copywriter who specializes in developing content for websites and creating blogs for Healthcare. You can contact Lucky to provide support with medical content. Click here to connect with Lucky Mehtani on Linkedin.
References:
- Diabetes. Available at : https://www.who.int/health-topics/diabetes#tab=tab_1 . Accessed on 27 November 2021
- DiPiro JT, et al. Pharmacotherapy: A pathophysiologic approach, 10th edition
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