Diabetes Basic Concepts

What is Diabetes?

Definition of diabetes: 'Diabetes is a heterogeneous group of metabolic disorders characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from defects in insuline secretion, insuilne action or both.'

                                                                  

                                                                (Definition from american diabetes association 2001)

Why it is metabolic disorder

Diabetes is associated with metabolic disorders. With that said, the question arises, how is this related metabolic disorders and which metabolism is impaired in this disease? Metabolic disorders are characterized by any impairment in metabolism or faulty or insufficient metabolism. Metabolism is the process how are body nutrients (carbohydrate, protein, fats, vitamins & minerals) are utilized. For example, to get energy from carbohydrate, it has to be metabolized first. At a certain point of metabolism, carbohydrates are broken down to from hexose monosaccharides like glucose, fructose, galactose etc. Glucose is the primary yield. To go through the further process of metabolism, the glucose has to be utilized. It has to enter the cell. The entrance of glucose is aided by insuline, a metabolic hormone which is deficit in diabetic patients. All diabetic patient has insuline deficiency. Insuline deficiency occurs for many reasons. What ever the reason is, this results in diabetes. Insuline can not help glucose to enter the cell and continue metabolism. Blood sugar  level is increased. So whatever food yields glucose at certain point of its metabolism, it will lead to high blood sugar level in diabetic patients.

How Do You Know You Have Diabetes 

Without testing blood sugar level, It is not possible to say for sure if someone has diabetes. But there are some common characteristics of diabetes by which one can make an assumption that he or she might have diabetes. The first symptom is frequent or excessive urination or polyurea. Other symptoms associated with diabetes mellitus are:

1)Polydipsia : Excessive thirst and dry mouth

2) Polyuria : Excessive and frequent urination

3) Polyphagia : Excessive hunger, increased appetite and increased food consumption

4) Change in weight : Recent weight gain

5) Blurring of vision : Caused by defects in retina

6) Nausea : Stomach discomfort and urge to vomit

7) Headache : Mild to moderate headache

What Causes Diabetes?

The cause of diabetes can be easily showed with a flow chart:

Diabetes Type

Type 1 or insuline dependent diabetes mellitus: Insuline secreting beta cells of pancreas are destroyed due to some reasons such as genetic and malignancy. Must take insuline in a regular interval.

Type 2  or non insuline dependent diabetes mellitus : Insuline secretion is impaired but  not totally destroyed. Also, insuline secretion may be normal but non responsive. Type 2 patients do not need to take exogenous  insuline unless their blood sugar level goes very high. Majority of diabetes patients have Type 2 diabetes.

Other Types: 

MODY : MODY is Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young.

Gestational Diabetes : Women suffer from this diabetes during pregnancy

There are another type of diabetes called diabetes incipidus but that is not a sub-class of diabetes mellitus and nothing to do with insuline and glucose metabolism.

Who Are Prone To Diabetes

1. Those who have many diabetic patients in their family or blood line
2. Those who  do not do much physical exercise and work
3. Those who suffered from Pancreas beta cell destruction 
4. Whose parents are both diabetic
5. Those with habit of excessive eating especially carbohydrates and fats

Why Diabetes is called Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetic patients have high blood sugar. So their urine becomes concentrated. The word 'Mellitus' is derived from Latin, meaning honey. Diabetes came to known as diabetes mellitus due to honey like concentration of urine.

Diabetes Mellitus Concept Map Video:

Common Terminology and Parameters Related To Diabetes

Blood Sugar : Blood sugar is the concentration of sugar in blood. Here, sugar does not refer to sucrose or table sugar. Normal Sugar is a disaccharide. All carbohydrates, disaccharides and polysaccharides break down to glucose which mixes with blood. So blood sugar means blood glucose level.

Hyperglycemia: High blood sugar level in diabetic patients

Normoglycemia : Normal blood sugar level in human beings

Hypoglycemia : Abnormally low blood sugar level in a person

Glycemic Index: Glycemic Index is the measurement of effects of carbohydrate containing foods on blood sugar or blood glucose level. It is a relative parameter and compared with the glycemic index of glucose which is 100. Foods with high glycemic index leads to high blood sugar.

BMI: BMI means Body Mass Index. It is a parameter that measures compares body weight to body height and surface area. It's an important to determine diet of a diabetic patient. Normally, diabetic patients have BMI above normal.

Fasting Blood Sugar Level : It is the blood sugar level of a person when his or her stomach is empty. Blood sugar level testing is done both in empty stomach and after meal. Every person's blood sugar level goes high immediately after eating. So diabetes is mainly determined by fasting blood sugar level which is higher in diabetic patients.