Diabetes Mellitus

What is Diabetes and how is it affecting us today?

Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic disease that can be controlled
using medication but cannot be cured yet. Diabetes
occurs when the blood glucose level is too high.
Glucose is a sugar which you get from the digestion
of food. It is transported in the bloodstream, thus
explaining the term ‘blood glucose’. Glucose has the
chemical composition of C₆H₁₂O₆.
Why is the blood glucose level
so high?
The blood glucose level is controlled by a hormone
that is released by the pancreas, called insulin.
Insulin allows the glucose to enter cells and to be
used for energy or to be stored for further use.
Insulin makes sure that your blood glucose level is
not too high (hyperglycemia) or too low
(hypoglycemia).
 What is the main cause for
Diabetes?

The main cause for diabetes is that if you either

cannot make insulin, or if your pancreas is producing
not enough insulin or if you are resistant to insulin.
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is when your white blood cells
mistakenly attack and destroy your beta cells in your
pancreas, causing you to produce no insulin. This is
thought to may be due to your genetics or can occur
after viral infections, but no clear answer is known
yet. The only medication for this is to inject yourself
with insulin 2 times everyday and once 15 minutes
before each meal.
 Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes starts when cells and muscles don’t use
insulin efficiently. This puts a strain on the pancreas to make
more and more insulin. Over time, the pancreas cannot
make enough insulin, which leads to high glucose levels.
The medication for this is to take biguanides (such as
metformin) which prevent to liver from making excess
glucose, thus decreasing blood sugar. Another way to
manage this might be to develop a healthier lifestyle, to
decrease the strain on the pancreas.
Prediabetes
Prediabetes has the same causes as Diabetes, but if you
have Prediabetes, your blood glucose levels are abnormally
higher than a normal person’s but not high enough to be
classified as Diabetes. Prediabetes is worryingly common,
1 out of every 3 people have prediabetes in the USA. Of
those who have Prediabetes, 90% of those people don’t
know they have the disease. Prediabetes can be reversed
with exercise and a very healthy lifestyle.
 ● Excessive thirst and

hunger

● Frequent urination
Symptoms of (kidney problems)

Diabetes ● Weight loss or gain

● Fatigue

● Blurred vision

● Nausea

● Tingling or numbness

in limbs or extremities.
Statistics
WHO (World Health Organisation) calculated that in 2017,
8.7% of the Indian adult population between the ages 20 -
70 is diabetic. This amounts to a staggering 73 million
people who are diagnosed as diabetic. (These
calculations are approximate of course.) The worst part
is, these calculations don’t take into account: juvenile
diabetes, prediabetes or undiagnosed diabetic patients.
These statistics are expected to increase drastically by
2025. Nearly 1 million Indians die annually due to
diabetes.
The importance of fighting Diabetes

With the increasing number of people suffering from

Diabetes, it is even more important to increase awareness
of this disease and generally to keep healthy and active.
It is also very important for you to try to manage the
disease, and to take medication on time and to eat a
healthier diet. One of the leading causes of type 2
Diabetes is obesity, so the remedy is to exercise more
often. This is what the NHS is trying to do with its ‘Change
4 life’ scheme.
What are the consequences?
The main consequences of Diabetes are that you are more prone to:
● Cardiovascular diseases (for example, CAD). Diabetes patients are more
likely to suffer heart disease/stroke.
● Nerve damage (neuropathy) or kidney damage (nephropathy).
● Eye damage (retinopathy). Diabetes causes a third of all adult
blindness.
● Alzheimer's disease. Type 2 diabetes sometimes increases the risk of
Dementia. (Alzheimer's disease)
● Depression. Depression symptoms are more common in people with
Diabetes but to this day, wwe don’t know how they are linked.
International Diabetes Day

Raise awareness for Diabetes, educate

people who don’t know about it and
participate in a Diabetes Awareness
event that will be held in your locality.
This year’s theme for International
Diabetes Day is ‘Diabetes and Family’.
Think about what it would be like if
someone in your family had Diabetes
and how it would affect you.