Diabetes Mellitus - The most common type of Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes) is the most common ill­ness due to hormonal imbalance. Symptoms include: sugar in the urine; frequent, copious urination; abnormal thirst; polyphagia (po"le-fa'je-ah), which is excessive eating; rapid weight loss; general weakness; drowsiness and fatigue; itch­ing of the genitals and skin; visual disturbances and blurring; and skin disorders, such as boils, carbuncles, and infection.
Many of these symptoms develop because cells are not metabolizing sugar. The liver fails to store glucose as glycogen, and all of the cells fail to utilize glucose as an energy source. This means that the blood glucose level is very high after eating, causing glucose to be excreted in the urine. Because more water than usual is excreted, the diabetic is extremely thirsty.
Since carbohydrates are not being metabolized, the body turns to the breakdown of proteins and fat for energy. Unfortunately, the breakdown of these molecules leads to the buildup of ketones. Ketones are acidic
molecules, and their buildup in the body causes an increase in acid levels (acidosis). The reduction in blood volume due to production of copious urine and the acido­sis due to ketones can eventually lead to coma and death. The symptoms of hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) develop slowly, and intervention can reverse symptoms.
There are two types of diabetes mellitus. In type I diabetes mellitus (insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [IDDM]), the pancreas does not produce insulin, requiring the diabetic to have daily insulin injections. These injections control the
symptoms but can still cause inconveniences. Either an over­dose of insulin or the absence of regular eating can induce symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) because the blood sugar level is below normal. Since the brain requires a constant supply of sugar, unconsciousness results. The cure for low blood sugar is quite simple: An immediate source of sugar, such as a sugar cube or fruit juice, can counteract hy­poglycemia immediately. Obviously, insulin injections are not the same as a fully functioning pancreas that responds on demand to a high glucose level by supplying insulin. For this reason, some doctors advocate a pancreatic islet trans­plant for type I diabetes.
Of the over 12 million people in the United States who now have diabetes, at least 11 million have type II ­diabetes mellitus (non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [NIDDMJ). Risk of developing type II diabetes has a genetic component, and obesity greatly increases the risk. In type II diabetes, the pancreas produces insulin, but the cells do not respond to it. At first, the cells lack the receptors necessary to detect the presence of insulin; later, the cells are incapable of taking up glucose. If type II diabetes is left untreated, the results can be as serious as those for type I diabetes. Dia­betics are prone to blindness, kidney disease, and circulatory disorders, including strokes. Pregnancy carries an increased risk of diabetic coma, and the child of a diabetic is some­what more likely to be stillborn or to die shortly after birth. For these reasons, type II diabetes should be prevented or at least controlled by diet and regular exercise. If diet and exer­cise fail to control it, oral drugs are available that make the cells more sensitive to the effects of insulin or that stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin.
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is diabetes that sometimes occurs during pregnancy. It is probably due to the presence of placental hormones and is expected to dis­appear once the child is born.
The most common illness due to hormonal imbalance is diabetes mellitus, caused by a lack of insulin or an insensitivity of cells to insulin.

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