Diabetes Mellitus — Everything you need to know | Zyla Health
Diabetes Mellitus is a term given to a metabolic condition in which the body is unable to produce insulin or make very little insulin or the cells of the body are unable to use insulin.
What is insulin you ask? Well, insulin is a hormone that is secreted by the pancreas in our body which helps in delivering glucose from the blood to cells so that glucose is used as energy throughout the day.
When you eat food, the body breaks down the carbohydrates present in it into glucose and insulin proceeds with its role of distributing the glucose to the body cells.
If you understand the process, you know now that insulin is important for our body and any fault in insulin production or its function can lead to high sugar levels in the blood. This condition is what we call Diabetes Mellitus.
Having understood what diabetes is and how it occurs, let’s move on to the different types of diabetes…
Types of Diabetes Mellitus
Based on factors revolving around insulin, glucose and some other parameters, Diabetes Mellitus has been classified into different types but the three most common types are:
Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
- The pancreatic cells which are responsible for insulin production are destroyed by the body’s own immune system. It is an autoimmune condition and is mostly genetic in nature.
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
- This is the type in which the function of insulin is affected such that the cells of the body do not respond to normal amounts of insulin produced by the pancreas.
- The pancreas in response produces more insulin but even when this extra insulin is not enough to overcome that resistance then it results in high glucose levels.
Gestational Diabetes
- As clear from the term, “gestation”, this type of diabetes occurs during pregnancy. A pregnant woman has a number of changes going on in her body and hormonal change is one of them.
- Gestational Diabetes can occur even if there is no history of diabetes and needs management during pregnancy only.
Now that we are well versed with the different types of diabetes, we’ll now talk about the signs and symptoms you will notice when your blood sugar levels are high.
General symptoms of Diabetes Mellitus
There are some symptoms of diabetes which when observed by you should not be left unnoticed. You should consult your doctor when you see symptoms like:
- Increased hunger (polyphagia)
- Increased thirst (polydipsia)
- Sudden weight loss
- Frequent urination (polyuria)
- Wounds or sores that are not getting healed
- Blurred vision
- Fatigue or tiredness
- Burning or tingling sensation in any part of your body
- Genital itching or thrush
Anyone who is suffering from either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes and is undiagnosed will show most of these symptoms. It is not important that diabetes can only affect adults. In an era of sedentary lifestyles, even children and adolescents are getting targeted by many diseases including diabetes.
Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes both show the same symptoms in an individual as stated above but the time in which these symptoms appear in an individual varies.
In type 1 diabetes, the symptoms appear quickly in the early ages and that makes that harder to miss.
Whereas in Type 2 diabetes these symptoms appear gradually and can even take years to appear. This leads to an unnoticed diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes and it is usually diagnosed only when certain complications are there.
Even for women with undiagnosed gestational diabetes, these symptoms are a warning sign that you need to speak to your doctor and get tests done to determine if you have diabetes or any other problem.
Here we end our discussion over the symptoms of diabetes. Now, we must discuss what caused diabetes to happen in an individual.
Causes of Diabetes Mellitus
The different types of diabetes are caused by different reasons. Let’s know about some of them and be aware of diabetes.
Type 1 Diabetes
The immune system starts attacking the cells that produce insulin and the reason why the immune system behaves this way is still unknown. But the cause of a person having Type 1 Diabetes is:
- Genetics: If you have a family history of a sibling or parent or blood kin suffering from Type 1 Diabetes then chances are that you are going to have it too during some part of life.
- Viral infections: Some viral infections can trigger the pancreas in an abnormal way that stops producing insulin.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes can be caused by a number of factors and it is important that we work and improve some of them:
- Obesity and overweight: The fat in your body increase the insulin resistance of the cells especially if you have fat around your belly. As a result, glucose does not reach the cells and high sugar levels are present in the body.
- Lack of physical activity: The absence of physical activity in your lifestyle will lead you to gain weight and hence increase your risk of diabetes.
- Genetics: Genes play an important role in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, so if you have diabetes in your families then be cautious and aware at the same time.
- Prediabetes: An uncontrolled prediabetic condition can lead to the development of Type 2 diabetes later in life.
- History of gestational diabetes: If you were diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy, chances are you can develop Type 2 diabetes too in life.
- Heart condition: An uncontrolled heart condition for a long time like high triglycerides, high blood pressure can also create complications like diabetes late in life.
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes can be diagnosed in any woman during pregnancy and it is caused due to all the hormonal changes that a woman goes through during pregnancy.
Certain hormones are released which make the cells resistant to insulin and so high blood sugar levels are seen in the body.
Risk factors of Diabetes
“Prevention is better than cure”, this age-old saying is true for every aspect of life.
It is better to be aware of the risk factors that contribute to diabetes so that you can reduce your chances of having this disease in the future. Here are some of the risk factors that you need to take care of:
Type 1 Diabetes
- Family history: If you have Type 1 Diabetes in your family, you can have it in your genes too. So chances are there to be diagnosed with it during some part of your life.
- Environmental factors: Some viral infections might trigger your immune system in such a way that your immune system might start destroying insulin-making cells.
Type 2 Diabetes
- Sedentary lifestyle: Sitting and eating all day will lead to weight gain and decreased glucose uptake which can cause diabetes.
- Obese or overweight: High body weight decreases insulin sensitivity which puts you at a high risk of having Type 2 diabetes.
- Age: As the body’s functions slow down with age, the risk of developing diabetes increases.
- Prediabetes or gestational diabetes: If you have had gestational diabetes or have uncontrolled prediabetes, then you are at a high risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.
- Abnormal lipid profile or high blood pressure: Both lipid profile and blood pressure affect your heart. So if you have an uncontrolled lipid profile or blood pressure then you are at risk of developing a cardiac condition but you are also at risk of developing diabetes too.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): Females with PCOS have higher chances of developing Type 2 Diabetes as they are at risk of developing insulin resistance in the body.
- Family history: If you have Type 2 Diabetes in your family then you might acquire the genes for it. It is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle to prevent it and be aware of the symptoms of diabetes.
Gestational Diabetes
- Family history: Through genes, the chances of developing gestational diabetes increase.
- Personal history: If you had Gestational Diabetes in your previous pregnancy or you already have prediabetes, it will contribute to developing diabetes more easily.
- Weight: It is also affected if you were overweight or obese before the pregnancy.
What is the treatment for Diabetes Mellitus?
Diabetes can be managed with lifestyle modifications including nutritional management and physical activity along with medicines which can be oral medications and sometimes injections of insulin.
Talking about lifestyle modifications, it is important for everyone to eat right and at the right time along with regular exercise. Here is what you can do:
- Main meals on time: Eat your breakfast, lunch and dinner on time. Avoid delaying or skipping meals.
- Protein power: Include dal or curd or milk or egg whites in your main meals.
- Fibre bulk: Start your lunch and dinner with salads.
- Avoid long meal gaps: Eat fruits or sprouts or roasted makhana or murmura or roasted chana in mid meals.
- Move your body: Involve in any physical activity for at least 30 minutes per day.
- Be punctual: Take your medicines on time and be regular with your doctor follow-ups.
- Be aware: Keep a check on your blood sugar levels by measuring them 2–3 times a week.
The approach for the medicinal treatment of different types of diabetes is different and depends on a number of factors including your sugar levels too. Here are some treatments that your doctor can prescribe you to help manage diabetes:
Type 1 Diabetes
It is managed only with injections that provide insulin. Since insulin is not produced in the body, insulin injections are the only way to treat this type of diabetes.
Based on your sugar levels and your routine, your doctor may prescribe you with insulins that differ in their time of action:
- Rapid-acting insulin: starts working within 15 minutes and lasts for 3–4 hours
- Short-acting insulin: starts working within 30 minutes and lasts for 6–8 hours
- Intermediate-acting insulin: starts working within 1–2 hours and lasts for 12–18 hours
- Long-acting insulin: starts working within some hours and lasts for 24 hours
Insulin works well when it is stored and later on, injected well, learn how to store and inject insulin the right way from our blogs, “Learn how to store insulin the perfect way” and “Are you injecting insulin the right way?”.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is usually managed by oral medications and lifestyle changes have an important role to play in the management of diabetes. Some of the medications that your doctor will prescribe are:
- Biguanides: metformin
- SGLT2 inhibitors: canagliflozin and dapagliflozin
- Sulfonylureas: glipizide, glimepiride
- Thiazolidinediones: pioglitazone, rosiglitazone
- DPP-4 inhibitors: Sitagliptin, linagliptin
In some cases, doctors may prescribe insulin injections for Type 2 Diabetic patients and combination therapy of some of these drugs are used to manage diabetes
Gestational Diabetes
Diabetes in pregnancy is managed with lifestyle modifications and diet at first but in most cases, insulin injections are usually given as insulin is safe for the baby too.
In oral diabetic drugs, metformin can only be given as it is the only safe drug in pregnancy.
For more information on types of insulin and medicines, you can read our blog, “What is the best medicine for diabetes?”.
Diabetes can be managed and prevented if you make the right lifestyle and food choices along with taking medicines on time and involving in physical activity. If you have diabetes, it is important to accept it and work towards ways to manage it.
Also by keeping a check on the symptoms of diabetes, you can diagnose it early and manage it well.
For the management of your blood sugar levels and overall health, Zyla can help you by providing you with personalised care.
We have a dedicated team of 50+ endocrinologists, nutritionists, physiotherapists and psychologists who work on your health closely and guide you. Download the Zyla app to start your health journey now!
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