What Is Diabetes

What is diabetes - Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that has several causes. It is characterized by chronic hyperglycemia and disorders of the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins as a result of anomalies and the effect of insulin secretion. Over time, the disease can cause damage, dysfunction and failure of various organs.

Two types of diabetes

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- Type 1 diabetes usually occurs in childhood or adolescence and patients need insulin injections throughout life.

- Type 2 diabetes usually appear in adulthood and is associated with obesity, physical inactivity and unhealthy food. It is the most common form of diabetes (about 90% of the cases in the world) and treatment can consist changes the way of life and low weight, including injections of insulin or oral medications.

Other forms of diabetes

Other forms of this disease are diabetes pregnancy and pictures with rarer causes such as pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, genetic syndromes, exposure to certain drugs or viruses, and unknown causes.

Some intermediate States of hyperglycemia are also defined (disorder of glucose in fasting or disorder of glucose tolerance). They are important because they can progress and become frank diabetes, but can prevented or delayed by the drop in weight and changes in lifestyle.

In the short term, hyperglycaemia causes intense thirst, increased urinary frequency, low and intense hunger for weight. In the long run, produces eye injury (causing blindness), kidney (that lead to renal failure) and nerve (which lead to sexual impotence and disorders of the feet which sometimes oblige amputated).

On the other hand, increases the risk of heart disease, strokes and circulatory insufficiency in the lower limbs. Many studies have shown that a good metabolic control prevents or differ the appearance of these complications.

Therefore, the main objective of the treatment is to reduce high concentrations of sugar in the blood with a view to improve diabetic symptoms and prevent or delay the complications to normal limits. The fulfillment of this objective requires on the part of the health care system a full approach, coordinated and focused on the needs of the patient.