Diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus, or simply diabetes, is a group of many different diseases with various etiologies.

All of these diseases have one thing in common, high blood sugar level because of inadequate secretion of insulin from the cells of the Langerhans islets in the pancreas. This disorder was formerly called “honey urine” due to the large quantities of sweet urine passed by the patients.

Major forms of diabetes mellitus (DM)

1. Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), also called type 1 diabetes.
2. Non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), also referred to as type 2 diabetes.
3. Gestational diabetes takes place when pregnant women with no prior diagnosis of diabetes develops a high blood glucose level. It could possibly precede development of type 2 diabetes mellitus DM.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus represents roughly 5-10% of all cases of diabetes and is also known as juvenile diabetes for the reason that beginning of the disease is most widespread in younger people. This particular form of diabetes is characterized by loss of the insulin-producing beta cells, which results in a lack of ability to generate insulin, and to a life time dependence on insulin treatment.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is believed to represent 90-95% of all occurrences of diabetes. This is a metabolic condition which develops as a result of defective function of the beta cells, along with a significant insulin resistance in the body. The deterioration responsiveness of body tissues to insulin is assumed to involve the insulin receptor. It has formerly been regarded as an adult-onset type of diabetes. However, this isn’t always true because a few young folks have been clinically determined to have type 2 diabetes and being overweight is considered as a risk factor for this type of diabetes.

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Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is similar to type 2 diabetes in a number of ways, including a combination of insufficient insulin secretion and responsiveness. It happens in about 2%-5% of all pregnancies and may even improve or vanish following delivery. Gestational diabetes is completely curable, but needs careful medical supervision during the entire pregnancy. Some % of affected women develop type 2 diabetes in the future.

While it’s temporary, neglected gestational diabetes can harm the health of the fetus or mother. Risks to the baby include macrosomia (high birth weight), congenital cardiac and nervous system anomalies, and skeletal muscle malformations. Higher fetal insulin may hinder fetal surfactant production and lead to respiratory distress syndrome. Hyperbilirubinemia may be caused by red blood cell destruction. In extreme cases, perinatal death can happen, usually because of poor placental perfusion on account of vascular impairment. Labor induction might be indicated with reduced placental function.

Your life with high blood sugar levels does not only mean a life with injections or initiatives in managing diet and weight but additionally numerous additional problems linked to the diabetic state. Most of these complications are a main reason behind deaths and mortality in individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. After some years with the disorder sufferers may encounter complications with vision, peripheral nerve sensitivity, kidney function and circulation. One more risk for complications takes place when the diabetic women conceives. The possibility of developing a malformed baby in a diabetic pregnancy is 2-3 times than the normal pregnancy. Also there is a higher risk for preeclampsia, miscarriage and stillbirths.

Developments in monitoring of blood sugar levels have lowered the likelihood and intensity of these complications but even now it is challenging to maintain normal blood sugar levels persistently. For specific complications a good metabolic control is not enough to lower the issues, it could simply mitigate and detain them. Regarding problems in diabetic pregnancy, the intensive clinical monitoring of the pregnant diabetic woman over the past decade has lowered the rate of congenital malformations. Nevertheless the likelihood of fetal dysmorphogenesis is still higher in the diabetic pregnancy.