Diabetes, a polygenic disorder characterized by abnormally high glucose levels in the blood is a syndrome of several metabolic disorders marked by excessive urination and persistent thirst. It is usually a combination of hereditary and environmental causes that defects the functions of hormones like insulin and glucagon from controlling the blood glucose levels in the body.
There are three different types of diabetes:
- Type 1 Diabetes (inadequate insulin secretion).
- Type 2 Diabetes (combination of inadequate insulin secretion and insulin resistance)
- Gestational Diabetes (combination of inadequate insulin and response).
Although not being completely curable, Diabetes is been medically controllable since insulin was made medically available in 1921. The target of this treatment can only be close to bringing the blood sugar level to normal.
Signs and Symptoms
The classical symptoms of diabetes are
- Polyuria (frequent urination).
- Polydipsia (increased thirst and fluid intake).
- Polyphagia (increased appetite) and
- Excessive weight loss.
Diabetes proves to be a leading cause of death to that of cancer and other heart diseases subjecting its victims to gangrene and amputations besides contributing for micro-vascular (blindness, kidney failure and nerve damage) and macro-vascular (atherosclerosis leading to stroke and coronary heart diseases) diseases as a result of damaged blood vessels.
Diagnosis
Urinalysis (urine test) can diagnose diabetes by looking for glucose and ketones in the breakdown of fat; however this alone does not diagnose the condition. The following blood glucose tests are used to diagnose diabetes:
- Fasting blood glucose test (above 126 mg/dL).
- Oral glucose tolerance test (above 200mg/dL , 2hrs after a 75g oral glucose load)
- Casual plasma glucose test (above 200mg/dL accompanied by symptoms, requires confirmation through fasting blood glucose test).
Treatment and Management
Diabetic awareness, appropriate diet and exercises, monitored blood glucose levels are very important in treating diabetes. Although there is no cure for Diabetes in the Medical World, there are various ways to treat it which include regular exercises, strict diet, weight control, foot care, medication like insulin etc…
