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| Do you have Diabetes Mellitus and do you want to understand more about this disease? |
What is Diabetes? What is the main biological problem in diabetes? The main problem is the relative or absolute lack of insulin.
Insulin is a hormone produced by a gland called the pancreas and its main
action is to regulate the level of blood sugar in our body. In type 1 diabetes, which is usually found in children
and young people, there is practically no circulating insulin because
of a disease in the pancreas. These people therefore need their daily
injections of insulin, that is they are dependent on insulin. It is dangerous
to try medications in the form of tablets for them. In type 2 diabetes, the circulating insulin cannot
work properly because of "resistance" especially in in
muscles and the liver. Thus the blood sugar level rises. This is what
we find in the overweight or obese person. There is usually a "pre-diabetic"
stage of ten to twenty years before this stage is reached. Who is at risk to develop diabetes? What are the symptoms of diabetes mellitus? Many people with diabetes mellitus do not have symptoms
and they are diagnosed incidentally, for example, people attending a doctor
for other medical condition. The classical symptoms are those getting up at night
to pass urine frequently, passing frequent and large amounts of urine
and excessive thirst. There may also be weakness and tiredness with episodes
of dizziness. There can also be marked weight loss despite having a normal
or increased appetite. Others may complain of blurring of vision and tingling
and numbness of their hands and feet. In many cases diabetes is first diagnosed when there is a skin infection
such as a boil or an infection in the urine or other parts of the body.
Wounds of the lower extremities usually take a longer time to heal. What is the best test to do to know if I am a diabetic?
There are more risks to develop diabetes if:
a, you are obese or overweight (Determined by your Body
Mass Index - BMI);
b, you have a waist greater than: 80 cm in women and 90
cm in men;
c, there is a past history of impaired fasting blood sugar
> 6.7 mmol (110 mg/dl), raised triglyceride levels;
d, in women, there is a history of big babies at birth
(>4.5 kg);
e, you have raised blood pressure or are on treatment for
it with medications such as diuretics or ß blockers.
© Ministry
of Health & Quality of Life
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