An Overview Of Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a disease that affects the way the body breaks down sugars for energy. Children, men, and women, black or white, rich or poor—no one is spared from diabetes mellitus, though it does seem to be more prevalent among older people and those of minority backgrounds. This disease likely affects more than twenty million people in America alone; of those millions, it is estimated that over six million people do not even know they have the disease. For this reason, doctors routinely ask for blood samples and urine tests when assessing overall health, just to rule out possible diabetes. If diabetes mellitus runs in your family, you are more likely to develop the disease yourself, as researchers believe there is a genetic component at work. It is not a contagious disease, but rather a malfunction of the body's normally efficient processes.

Diabetes mellitus comes in different forms. Basically, though, every body is equipped with a pancreas, which is responsible for the production of insulin, a chemical breaks down sugars in the blood and allows the body sufficient energy for normal, daily functions. In diabetics, the insulin is either not produced, or it does not react to the sugars in the blood the way it is supposed to do. There are four levels or possible forms of the disease: type 1, type 2, gestational, and pre-diabetes. All of these can be treated, though not cured. However, if pre-diabetes is diagnosed, then there are treatments and diets that can prolong or even eliminate the eventual onset of diabetes.

Pre-diabetes means, quite simply, that though the blood sugar levels are consistently elevated, diabetes mellitus is not present. That is because there is a specific number used as a starting point when measuring the sugars in the blood of diabetics. Tested on an empty stomach, called a fasting test, the level of sugar present in the bloodstream can range anywhere from around fifty to upwards of five hundred. Pre-diabetes is the term used to describe the fasting level of around 100-125. Anything over 125 is considered diabetes mellitus. Higher into the hundreds means the sugar is so dangerously high as to possibly cause the person's body to begin shutting down.

Gestational diabetes is another form of diabetes mellitus that affects only the pregnant. What happens in this case is that the hormones of pregnancy cause the blood to stop using insulin the way it is supposed to. With all of the excess sugar in the blood, which is the main source of nutrition for the fetus, the baby often gains excessive weight, making delivery quite complicated. Because of the potential risks of this type of diabetes mellitus to both mother and child, pregnant women are routinely screened for gestational diabetes, usually around the fourth month of pregnancy. If gestational diabetes is diagnosed, these diabetes mellitus patients can control the sugar with a strict diet. Constant monitoring of the fetus and the mother is required. After delivery, the diabetes rectifies itself. However, it is believed that gestational diabetes is an indication of diabetes mellitus developing later in life for the mother.

Type 1 and type 2, though, are the lifelong diseases that either requires insulin injections (type 1) or oral medications (type 2). Only about five percent of those affected with diabetes mellitus have type 1. In type 1, the pancreas does not produce insulin at all or only produces very little. In type 2, the pancreas does produce the insulin, but the body refuses to use it to convert sugar to energy. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus are able to be controlled through proper diet, exercise, and medications. Overall, in fact, diabetes mellitus can be a devastating diagnosis, but education and support will show the diabetic that the disease can be controlled for a lifetime.