Diabetes Mellitus (most commonly called "diabetes") is a medical condition triggered by an endocrine system imbalance, caused by the lack of production of the blood sugar regulating hormone insulin, or increased resistance to its effects. In Type I diabetes, the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas fail to produce insulin, usually because of an immune system response that kills the cells; this is also called juvenile diabetes. In Type II diabetes, the body's ability to absorb and process insulin gradually decreases, and is most common in older patients, particularly those that are overweight or under a great deal of stress. Gestational diabetes is a temporary trigger of diabetes-like symptoms triggered by the rush of hormones needed for pregnancy.
The generalized symptoms of diabetes mellitus are subtle. The first real clues that most people have that they have diabetes is that they're thirsty more often than not, and have to urinate more frequently, particularly for type II diabetes with a late adult-hood onset. Without insulin to pull blood glucose, your body uses water to flush the excess (or what it thinks is the excess) from your system.
Other symptoms for diabetes include flu-like symptoms of fatigue and weakness and loss of appetite. What's happening is that your body isn't absorbing as much blood sugar as it used to, letting you feel run down. Related to this can be sudden changes in weight, either because you're eating more (to keep up with the loss of blood sugar absorption) or loose weight as your body cannibalizes other tissues to make up the lack. Most people with type I diabetes mellitus are significantly underweight.
Other symptoms include difficulty in fighting off infections, impaired eyesight due to retinal damage, and bleeding gums.
The primary diabetes medication regimen is getting insulin replacement, and modifying the patient's diet. For very early stages of type II diabetes, dietary changes alone can ameliorate most of the symptoms. For type I and advanced stages of type II, a mixture of diet and taking insulin are the primary treatment.
Insulin replacement can be handled through direct injection, at about the time that the patient needs to eat, or via a device called the insulin pump, which puts out a basal insulin level and can be triggered to give a boost after meals. In both cases, the diabetic needs to keep track of their blood glucose levels to know when they need to take an injection, and they need to be aware of the glycemic index value of foods they're considering eating.
With insulin therapy and other diabetic medication techniques, Diabetes Mellitus has shifted from being a killing disease to a chronic condition that can be managed inexpensively. A great web site to check out for types of Diabetes Supplies and Medications, visit ValueMedical.com.
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