Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus commonly known as diabetes is a metabolic disorder that is characterized by increase in blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) and other signs. There are a number of other complications that can result from diabetes like heart attack, stroke, obesity etc.
Types of diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus is basically classified intoAll these three differ in their causes and distributions. However, the signs and symptoms for all the diabetes is almost the same.
Type I diabetes occurs as a result of the inability of the pancreas to produce insulin which is the most important hormone required for the uptake of glucose by the cells. This happens because of autoimmune destruction of the beta cells in pancreas, which are responsible for the production of insulin.
The type II diabetes is as a result of the inability of the body cells to take up glucose because of developing insulin resistance. This is the same cause for gestational diabetes also. The hormones that are released during pregnancy cause insulin resistance in women who have a family history of diabetes.
Signs and symptoms of diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus can occur at any age but is usually seen to occur in people over 30 years of age. The exact cause of diabetes is still unknown but people who have a family history of diabetes are at more risk of getting it.
Symptoms of diabetes mellitus include:
Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus
The following tests are used to determine whether a person has diabetes mellitus or not.
Urinalysis: The physician would conduct your urine analysis and if it shows he presence of glucose and ketone bodies then it can be a sign of diabetes. However, a blood test is required to determine exactly whether the person has diabetes.
Fasting blood glucose: The person is made to fast after midnight for not more than 10 hours and then the blood sample is taken and analyzed for the level of glucose. If the fasting blood glucose level is found to be is 126mg/dL or higher then the person is diagnosed with diabetes.
Random (non fasting) blood glucose: The person is given a glucose drink and then samples of blood are taken after hour, 1 hour, 2 hours, and 3 hours of having the drink. If the blood glucose level is more than 200mg/dL then the persona is diagnosed with diabetes.
Treatment of diabetes mellitus
The treatment of diabetes depends on how sever the disease is. In case of Type I diabetes the usual treatment includes insulin, exercise and a diabetic diet. In type II diabetes it is treated with initial weight reduction, a diabetes diet plan and exercise. If diabetes is not controlled by these measures then oral medications are used and if these also fail them treatment with insulin is taken into consideration.
Types of diabetes treatment
Diabetes is mainly treated by:
When selecting oral therapy the extent of change in of blood sugar with every medication should be taken into consideration and also the other medical patients should be considered. It adverse effects of the drugs and the timings of the drugs should also be considered. If it is observed that a specific medication can be helpful to the patient in more than one aspect i.e. besides lowering the blood glucose level if it can also result in reducing the cholesterol or any other factor then it should be preferred.
Medicines that increase the insulin output by the pancreas: sulfonylureas (chlorpropamide and tolbutamide) and meglitinides (repaglinide and nateglinide).
Medications that decrease the glucose produced by the liver: Metformin and Phenformin
Medications that increase the sensitivity of cells to insulin: Troglitazone, pioglitazone and rosiglitazone
Medications that decrease the absorption of carbohydrates from the intestine: acarbose, symlin
Combination medications:
Making the use of combination medications results in the patient taking fewer pills and better compliance. Some of the combination medications include:
Treatment with insulin
Insulin forms the main treatment option in diabetes when the glucose levels cannot be controlled by weight loss, diet plans, exercise and oral medications. Insulin should be given in the same manner, as it is available in the natural form in the body.
Earlier the insulin used is derived from animal sources like pigs, cows etc. However, these resulted in allergic reactions. For this reason these were replaced by human insulin. These days there are different preparations of insulin available and at times combination insulin are also used. Some of the most common types of insulin include:
The methods in which insulin is given:
There are a number of newer treatments that are being developed. Some of these are undergoing clinical trials and patients can easily benefit from these trials by taking part in it. You should consult your physician about the how can you take part.
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