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Natural Health News Articles
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| Posted: 7th August 2004 |
| Diabetes Mellitus |
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Diabetes mellitus is a medical disorder characterized by persistent hyperglycemia, or high concentrations of glucose in the blood. It is caused by either inadequate production of insulin or problems with the normal utilization of insulin.
Causes and types of diabetes mellitus
The role of insulin
Insulin is a hormone which is ordinarily produced by the pancreas in response to high levels of glucose in the bloodstream, such as after a meal. It is critical in the conversion of glucose, the basic sugar unit, to glycogen for storage. If the amount of insulin produced is insufficient, there is resistance to the effects of insulin, or the insulin itself is defective, the glucose is not stored appropriately and accumulates in the bloodstream, leading to a number of metabolic problems.
Type 1 diabetes mellitus
Type 1 diabetes is most commonly diagnosed in children and adolescents, but can occur in adults as well. It is an autoimmune disorder, in which the body's own immune system attacks the beta cells in the Islets of Langerhans of the pancreas, preventing them from producing enough (or any) insulin. The autoimmune attack may be triggered by reaction to an infection, for example by one of the viruses of the Coxsackie virus family.
Some poisons (e.g. one type of rat poison) work by selectively destroying certain types of cells, including pancreatic cells, thus producing 'artificial' Type 1 diabetes. Other pancreatic problems including trauma or tumor (either malignant or benign) can also do so.
Currently, Type 1 is treated with insulin injections and careful monitoring of blood glucose levels using blood test kits. The treatment must be continued indefinitely.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus
Type 2 diabetes is characterized by "insulin resistance" — the body does not respond appropriately to the hormone. This is a more complex problem than type 1, but is easier to treat, since the body still produces insulin. |
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