Diabetes has become a household name in our region due to its abundance spread in rural and urban areas. Everyone near and dear to us is suffering from this disease. If not family, close relatives and friends are fighting it. But still we don’t know much about it and little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

So to curb this, the specialists at Capitol Hospital will scrutinize this disease and increase your expertise on this.

Diabetes is also known as diabetes mellitus is a group of disorders in which the sugar level of our blood is more than accepted over a longer duration of time.

WHY DIABETES OCCURS AND ITS TYPES?           

It can mainly occur due to either of the two reasons stated below.

• TYPE 1

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, resulting in insulin deficiency. Insulin is a peptide hormone produced by the beta cells of the pancreas. It is mainly responsible for the absorption of glucose obtained from the blood to fat, liver and muscle cells.

• TYPE 2

When the cells of the body stop responding to the insulin produced. This scenario is termed as insulin resistance. The risk of type 2 diabetes can increase if you are obese, lead a sedentary lifestyle with no exercise. The risk can also be affected by your older age and family history of diabetes.

• PREDIABETES

This is the stage in which the blood sugar level in your body is high but not high enough that it can be classified as type 2 diabetes. Having prediabetes increases your risk of type 2 diabetes. But with some changes, you can control your blood sugar level. The symptoms for this are almost none.

• GESTATIONAL DIABETES

This type of diabetes is found in pregnant women. Women with no history of diabetes, acquire high sugar level in blood when pregnant. The condition can improve or cure itself when the woman is no longer pregnant.

SYMPTOMS

Many symptoms can occur but none are specific to diabetes. Some of the symptoms that can be encountered are:

• Frequent urination
• Increased thirst
• Increased hunger
• Headache, fatigue, and itchy skin

Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented but type 2 diabetes which is more common can be controlled and its risk can be reduced by some lifestyle changes. Overweight is one such factor which we will be taking up in the upcoming blogs.