Guide on Diabetes Mellitus and its Related Terms

Diabetes is one of the most common disorders in humankind. People of all age groups suffer due to poor lifestyle choices, zero exercise, and genetics.

Diabetes mellitus: The term comes from the Latin name for diabetes mellitus. It is commonly known as type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In both conditions, the body is unable to produce insulin naturally to control blood sugar levels. However, type 1 diabetes is more common in children and younger people, type 2 diabetes is more common in the elderly, and the third type is gestational diabetes.

Let’s simplify this:
The sugar/glucose in the bloodstream comes from protein, fat, and carbohydrates. During your digestion process, the pancreas produces a hormone called insulin. It helps convert the glucose from the food into energy. But, when the pancreas struggles to generate the required amount of insulin in the body, it results in diabetes.

Sadly, more than 30 million people in the USA have diabetes mellitus, and nearly ¼ are not aware of it. If the condition remains unchecked and untreated, it may cause damage to blood vessels, cardiac issues, and nerve disorders.

Rare type of diabetes
There are other types of diabetes other than type 1 and type 2 – maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY), latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA), and secondary diabetes. The primary cause of these is drug side effects or endocrine disorders in the body. Another sub-type of type 1 diabetes is brittle diabetes. It is a condition where there is a sudden rise or drops in sugar levels in the body. Frequent and extreme fluctuations in glucose levels can lead to hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia.

Gestational diabetes: A condition during pregnancy when your body exhibits symptoms of high glucose level (hyperglycemia). Gestational diabetes develops in the third trimester and disappears once the baby is born.

Causes of type 1 diabetes: The exact reasons for the onset of type 1 diabetes are unknown. However, several factors may trigger the condition.

• Family history: No gene is associated with diabetes. But, this autoimmune condition passes on hereditary. It means, if your family member has it, the chances of you getting it from your parents are higher. Even though many people develop diabetes without any family history too.
• Infections and toxins: A viral infection in the body or toxin trigger can lead to type 1 diabetes. Any virus that attacks the immune system and damages the pancreas can result in a disbalance in glucose levels permanently.
• Idiopathic: When your body has a natural deficiency of insulin, then it results in a type 1 situation. It is common in African and Asia countries. Another name for this type of diabetes is type 1B.

Causes of type 2 diabetes: Poor lifestyle, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, being overweight for a long time, and family history are the reasons for type 2 diabetes.

You can stay from type 2 diabetic complexities by maintaining healthy body weight, exercising every day, keeping a check on your diet, and getting a thorough medical check annually.

You may also like to read:
South Indian Diabetic Diet Plan
What is Diabetes?
Causes and symptoms of diabetes
Impact of Diabetes on Person’s Health
How to Manage Diabetes