Task # 05
Diabetes, its Types, Signs And Symptoms,
Causes and its Treatment
Diabetes:
Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that causes high blood
sugar. Your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t
effectively use the insulin it makes.
The hormone insulin moves sugar from the blood into your cells to be stored or
used for energy. If this malfunctions, you may have diabetes.
Untreated high blood sugar from diabetes can damage your nerves, eyes,
kidneys, and other organs.
Types of diabetes:
Type 2 diabetes: With this type, your body doesn’t make enough
insulin and/or your body’s cells don’t respond normally to the insulin
(insulin resistance). This is the most common type of diabetes. It mainly
affects adults, but children can have it as well.
Prediabetes: This type is the stage before Type 2 diabetes. Your blood
glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be officially
diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes: This type is an autoimmune disease in which
your immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in your
pancreas for unknown reasons. Up to 10% of people who have diabetes
have Type 1. It’s usually diagnosed in children and young adults, but it
can develop at any age.
Gestational diabetes: This type develops in some people
during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after
pregnancy. However, if you have gestational diabetes, you’re at a higher
risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.
Other types of diabetes include:
Type 3c diabetes: This form of diabetes happens when your pancreas
experiences damage (other than autoimmune damage), which affects its
ability to produce insulin. Pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, cystic
fibrosis and hemochromatosis can all lead to pancreas damage that
causes diabetes. Having your pancreas removed (pancreatectomy) also
results in Type 3c.
Latent autoimmune diabetes in Adults (LADA): Like Type 1
diabetes, LADA also results from an autoimmune reaction, but it
develops much more slowly than Type 1. People diagnosed with LADA
are usually over the age of 30.
Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY): MODY, also
called monogenic diabetes, happens due to an inherited genetic
mutation that affects how your body makes and uses insulin. There are
currently over 10 different types of MODY. It affects up to 5% of people
with diabetes and commonly runs in families.
Neonatal diabetes: This is a rare form of diabetes that occurs within
the first six months of life. It’s also a form of monogenic diabetes. About
50% of babies with neonatal diabetes have the lifelong form called
permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus. For the other half, the condition
disappears within a few months from onset, but it can come back later in
life. This is called transient neonatal diabetes mellitus.
Brittle diabetes: Brittle diabetes is a form of Type 1 diabetes that’s
marked by frequent and severe episodes of high and low blood sugar
levels. This instability often leads to hospitalization. In rare cases,
a pancreas transplant may be necessary to permanently treat brittle
diabetes.
Symptoms And Causes:
Symptoms of diabetes include:
Increased thirst (polydipsia) and dry mouth
Frequent urination
Fatigue
Blurred vision
Unexplained weight loss
Numbness or tingling in hands or feets
Slow healing sores or cuts
Frequent skin and/or yeast infections
Additional details about symptoms per type of diabetes include:
Type 1 diabetes: Symptoms of T1D can develop quickly — over a few
weeks or months. You may develop additional symptoms that are signs
of a severe complication called diabetes-related ketoacidosis
(DKA). DKA is life-threatening and requires and requires immediate
medical treatment. DKA symptoms include vomiting, stomach pains,
fruity-smelling breath and labored breathing.
Type 2 diabetes: You may not have any symptoms at all, or you may
not notice them since they develop slowly. Routine bloodwork may
show a high blood sugar level before you recognize symptoms. Another
possible sign of prediabetes is darkened skin on certain parts of your
body (acanthosis nigricans).
Gestational diabetes: You typically won’t notice symptoms of
gestational diabetes. Your healthcare provider will test you for
gestational diabetes between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy.
What causes diabetes?
Too much glucose circulating in your bloodstream causes diabetes,
regardless of the type. However, the reason why your blood glucose
levels are high differs depending on the type of diabetes.
Causes of diabetes include:
Insulin resistance: Type 2 diabetes mainly results from insulin
resistance. Insulin resistance happens when cells in your muscles, fat
and liver don’t respond as they should to insulin. Several factors and
conditions contribute to varying degrees of insulin resistance,
including obesity, lack of physical activity, diet, hormonal
imbalances, genetics and certain medications.
Autoimmune disease: Type 1 diabetes and LADA happen when your
immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells in your pancreas.
Hormonal imbalances: During pregnancy, the placenta releases
hormones that cause insulin resistance. You may develop gestational
diabetes if your pancreas can’t produce enough insulin to overcome
the insulin resistance. Other hormone-related conditions
like acromegaly and Cushing syndrome can also cause Type 2
diabetes.
Pancreatic damage: Physical damage to your pancreas — from a
condition, surgery or injury — can impact its ability to make insulin,
resulting in Type 3c diabetes.
Genetic mutations: Certain genetic mutations can cause MODY and
neonatal diabetes.
Long-term use of certain medications can also lead to Type 2 diabetes,
including HIV/AIDS medications and corticosteroids.
Treatment:
Diabetes is a complex condition, so its management involves several
strategies. In addition, diabetes affects everyone differently, so
management plans are highly individualized.
The five main aspects of managing diabetes include:
Blood sugar monitoring: Monitoring your blood sugar (glucose) is
key to determining how well your current treatment plan is working.
It gives you information on how to manage your diabetes on a daily
— and sometimes even hourly — basis. You can monitor your levels
with frequent checks with a glucose meter and finger stick and/or
with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). You and your healthcare
provider will determine the best blood sugar range for you.
Oral diabetes medications: Oral diabetes medications (taken by
mouth) help manage blood sugar levels in people who have diabetes
but still produce some insulin — mainly people with Type 2 diabetes
and prediabetes. People with gestational diabetes may also need
oral medication. There are several different types. Metformin is the
most common.
Insulin: People with Type 1 diabetes need to inject synthetic insulin
to live and manage diabetes. Some people with Type 2 diabetes also
require insulin. There are several different types of synthetic insulin.
They each start to work at different speeds and last in your body for
different lengths of time. The four main ways you can take insulin
include injectable insulin with a syringe (shot), insulin pens, insulin
pumps and rapid-acting inhaled insulin.
Diet: Meal planning and choosing a healthy diet for you are key
aspects of diabetes management, as food greatly impacts blood
sugar. If you take insulin, counting carbs in the food and drinks you
consume is a large part of management. The amount of carbs you
eat determines how much insulin you need at meals. Healthy eating
habits can also help you manage your weight and reduce your heart
disease risk.
Exercise: Physical activity increases insulin sensitivity (and helps
reduce insulin resistance), so regular exercise is an important part of
management for all people with diabetes.
Due to the increased risk for heart disease, it’s also important to
maintain a healthy
Weight
Blood pressure
Cholestrol
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes#types
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/7104-
diabetes
Task in-time: 12pm
Task out-time: 2:01 pm
