Diabetes mellitus, or just diabetes, is a kind of diabetes. It occurs when your pancreas fails to generate enough insulin to keep the amount of glucose (sugar) in your blood under control. Diabetes affected an estimated 463 million individuals globally (8.8% of the adult population) in 2019, with type 2 diabetes accounting for about 90% of cases.
Women and males have similar rates. The current trend indicates that rates will continue to rise. Diabetes more than doubles a person’s risk of dying young. In2019, over 4.2 million individuals died as a result of diabetes. It is the world’s seventh leading cause of death.
Diabetes is caused by either insufficient insulin production by the pancreas or insufficient insulin response by the body’s cells. Insulin is a hormone that assists glucose from food in entering cells and being used for energy.
There are three forms of diabetes mellitus:
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is caused by the loss of beta cells in the pancreas, which prevents the pancreas from producing adequate insulin. Previously, this condition was known as “insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus” or “juvenile diabetes.” An autoimmune reaction causes the death of beta cells. This autoimmune response’s cause is unknown. Type 1 diabetes is most common in children and adolescents, although it can also strike adults
Type 2 diabetes
Insulin resistance, a condition in which cells do not respond appropriately to insulin, is the starting point for Type 2 diabetes. As the situation worsens, there may be a lack of insulin. Previously, this condition was known as “non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus” or “adult-onset diabetes.”
Although type 2 diabetes is more common in older persons, an increase in the frequency of obesity among youngsters has resulted in an increase in type 2 diabetes diagnoses among children. A combination of excessive body weight and insufficient exercise is the most typical cause.
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational Diabetes is the third most common kind of diabetes, and it develops when pregnant women who have never had diabetes develop high blood sugar levels. Blood sugar levels in women with gestational diabetes normally return to normal shortly after delivery. There is higher risk of Type 2 diabetes if a person had gestational Diabetes.
Management: –
⦁ Insulin injections are required to manage type 1 diabetes.
⦁ Type 2 diabetes can be prevented and treated by eating a good diet, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking. Type 2 diabetes can be managed with or without insulin and oral antidiabetic medicines. Blood pressure control and good foot and eye care are critical for those with the illness. Low blood sugar can be caused by insulin and some oral medicines (hypoglycaemia). In those with type 2 diabetes, weight loss surgery is occasionally a successful treatment option.
⦁ Gestational diabetes normally goes away after the baby is born.