Diabetes mellitus is a chronic health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. Normally, your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose (sugar), which enters the bloodstream. The hormone insulin, produced by the pancreas, helps glucose enter the cells to be used for energy.
In diabetes, the body either:
- Doesn’t produce enough insulin, or
- Can’t effectively use the insulin it makes.
This leads to high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia), which can cause damage over time to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves.
🧬 Types of Diabetes
1. Type 1 Diabetes
- Autoimmune disease: The body attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
- Usually develops in children or young adults.
- Patients need lifelong insulin therapy.
2. Type 2 Diabetes
- The most common form (90–95% of cases).
- The body becomes insulin resistant or doesn’t produce enough insulin.
- Often linked to obesity, poor diet, inactivity, and genetics.
- Can be managed with lifestyle changes, oral medications, and sometimes insulin.
3. Gestational Diabetes
- Develops during pregnancy and usually disappears after childbirth.
- Increases risk of type 2 diabetes later in life for both mother and baby.
4. Other Forms
- Includes monogenic diabetes (rare, inherited forms) and secondary diabetes (due to other conditions like pancreatitis or steroid use).
⚠️ Symptoms of Diabetes – Diabetes & Its Treatment ?
Common symptoms include:
- Frequent urination (polyuria)
- Excessive thirst (polydipsia)
- Extreme hunger (polyphagia)
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fatigue
- Blurry vision
- Slow-healing wounds
- Numbness or tingling in hands or feet
🧪 Diagnosis
- Fasting blood sugar ≥ 126 mg/dL
- HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) ≥ 6.5%
- Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT): ≥ 200 mg/dL after 2 hours
- Random blood sugar ≥ 200 mg/dL with symptoms
💊 Treatment and Management
Type 1:
- Insulin therapy (injections or pumps)
- Carbohydrate counting
- Blood sugar monitoring
Type 2:
- Diet and exercise
- Oral medications (e.g., metformin)
- Insulin, if needed
- Weight loss and diabetes education
Gestational:
- Healthy diet
- Exercise
- Sometimes insulin or medication
🥗 Lifestyle Management
- Healthy diet: Whole grains, lean protein, fruits/vegetables, low sugar
- Regular exercise: Helps control blood sugar and weight
- Monitoring blood glucose
- Medication adherence
- Regular doctor visits
🧠 Complications (if unmanaged)
- Heart disease and stroke
- Kidney disease (nephropathy)
- Nerve damage (neuropathy)
- Eye damage (retinopathy)
- Foot problems (ulcers, infections, amputations)
- Increased risk of infections
📉 Can Diabetes Be Prevented?
Weight management
Type 1: Not preventable
Type 2: Often preventable with:
Healthy eating
Physical activity