Diabetes is an impairment in the way the body handles fats,
proteins, and especially carbohydrates. This condition is as a
result of a lack or partial lack in insulin production, or
response to the insulin which is produced.
Diabetes is divided into insipidus and mellitus forms. The
mellitus form is the most common, and it is further divided into
type I and type II, and will be discussed in this article.
Type I is also referred to as insulin dependent diabetes
mellitus - IDDM, and type II as non-insulin dependent diabetes
mellitus - NIDDM. IDDM is a condition in patients for whom
insulin therapy is essential because they do no produce insulin
the onset is usually during childhood. NIDDM might require
insulin, but isn't absolutely necessary, onset is usually
during adulthood.
The World Health Organization describes diabetes as a fasting
venous plasma glucose concentration of 7.0 mmol/L or greater
than 11 mmol/L two hours after a carbohydrate meal, even if
fasting glucose concentration was normal.
Persons at risk at developing diabetes include those who have a
strong family history of the condition, and those who might have
developed the condition during pregnancy, also included as
causes include obesity, unsatisfactory diet, sedentary lifestyle
and increased urbanization.
The diagnosis of diabetes is done by considering the symptoms,
and further by blood glucose testing.
| SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES |
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The condition is managed by three methods diet and exercise,
oral hypoglycaemic drugs and/or insulin. approximately 50% of
new cases of diabetes can be controlled adequately by diet
alone, 20-30% will need an oral hypoglycaemic drug, and 20-30%
will require insulin.
The
complications of diabetes include impaired vision, kidney
failure, sensation loss in fingers and toes, foot ulcers, and
heart conditions. Diabetes can affect basically any organ within
the body, and its improper management can lead to low glucose
levels.
| COMMON SYMPTOMS OF HYPOGLYCAEMIA/LOW GLUCOSE | |
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