Diabetes mellitus is a group of conditions that affect how the body uses glucose levels. The cells that constitute the tissues and muscles depend on glucose as a major fuel source. Depending on the type, different factors can cause diabetes such as obesity, hormonal disease, family history etc. Major health issues can result from having excessive sugar in your bloodstream (Cole & Florez, 2020). The major types of diabetes include diabetes type 1, diabetes type 2, gestational diabetes, and juvenile diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes mellitus is an autoimmune disease that results in the destruction of the pancreatic beta cells that make insulin, leaving them unable to support glucose uptake. Juvenile diabetes was the last name typically diagnosed in children and young adults. Insulin is a vital anabolic hormone that influences the growth and metabolism of glucose, lipids, proteins, and minerals. The body’s capacity to regulate and use glucose as energy is hampered by type 2 diabetes. This persistent illness results in the bloodstream having an excessive amount of sugar. (Cole & Florez, 2020). In gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a hormone produced by the placenta (progesterone) interferes with the body’s ability to use insulin effectively (McIntyre et Al., 2019). As opposed to being taken up by the cells, glucose accumulates in the blood.
In patients with type 1 diabetes, the pancreas either produces extremely little or no insulin at all. Using a needle and syringe, users will inject insulin beneath the skin after drawing it from a vial and administering it (subcutaneously). Diet is an important factor in this treatment regime hence the patient must pay attention to food labels and avoid unnecessary carbohydrates, fats, and sodium, as they can spike glucose levels (Rak & Bronkowska, 2018). The patient is advised never to skip meals and try to eat around the same time each day to avoid changes in sugar levels. Dieting is essential since if the patient does not eat and receives insulin, the blood sugars may deviate negatively, and thus hypoglycemia can be fatal.
References
Cole, J. B., & Florez, J. C. (2020). Genetics of diabetes mellitus and diabetes complications. Nature Reviews Nephrology, 16(7), 377-390. Web.
McIntyre, H. D., Catalano, P., Zhang, C., Desoye, G., Mathiesen, E. R., & Damm, P. (2019). Gestational diabetes mellitus. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 5(1), 1-19. Web.
Rak, K., & Bronkowska, M. (2018). Immunomodulatory effect of vitamin D and its potential role in the prevention and treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus—a narrative review. Molecules, 24(1), 53. Web.