Related topics: type 2 diabetes , type 1 diabetes , insulin , blood sugar , insulin resistance
Diabetes mellitus
hideDiabetes mellitus (pronounced /ˌdaɪ.əˈbiːtiːz/ or /ˌdaɪ.əˈbiːtɨs/; /mɨˈlaɪtəs/ or /ˈmɛlɨtəs/)—often referred to simply as diabetes—is a disease in which the body does not produce enough, or properly respond to, insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas. Insulin is needed to turn sugar and other food into energy. In diabetes, the body either doesn't make enough insulin or can't use its own insulin as well as it should, or both. This causes sugar to accumulate in the blood, often leading to various complications. The American Diabetes Association reported in 2009 that there are 23.6 million children and adults in the United States—7.8% of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 17.9 million in the US alone have been diagnosed with diabetes, nearly one in four (5.7 million) diabetics are unaware that they have the disease.
Many types of diabetes are recognized: The principal three are:
All forms of diabetes have been treatable since insulin became medically available in 1921, but there is no cure for the common types except a pancreas transplant, although gestational diabetes usually resolves after delivery. Diabetes and its treatments can cause many complications. Acute complications including hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, or nonketotic hyperosmolar coma may occur if the disease is not adequately controlled. Serious long-term complications include cardiovascular disease, chronic renal failure, retinal damage, which can lead to blindness, several types of nerve damage, and microvascular damage, which may cause erectile dysfunction and poor wound healing. Poor healing of wounds, particularly of the feet, can lead to gangrene, and possibly to amputation. Adequate treatment of diabetes, as well as increased emphasis on blood pressure control and lifestyle factors such as not smoking and maintaining a healthy body weight, may improve the risk profile of most of the chronic complications. In the developed world, diabetes is the most significant cause of adult blindness in the non-elderly and the leading cause of non-traumatic amputation in adults, and diabetic nephropathy is the main illness requiring renal dialysis in the United States.
For more information about Diabetes mellitus, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with diabetes
Study strengthens link between sirtuins proteins and life extension
Dec 14, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new paper from MIT biology professor Leonard Guarente strengthens the link between longevity proteins called sirtuins and the lifespan-extending effects of calorie restriction.
Study shows how gene action may lead to diabetes prevention, cure
Dec 11, 2009 |
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A gene commonly studied by cancer researchers has been linked to the metabolic inflammation that leads to diabetes.
Surgery recognized as effective treatment for type 2 diabetes
Dec 22, 2009 |
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A first-of-its-kind consensus statement by 50 medical experts from around the world has pronounced surgery to be a legitimate and effective treatment for type 2 diabetes, bringing the procedure a significant step closer to ...
Is nicotinamide overload a trigger for type 2 diabetes?
Dec 22, 2009 |
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Facing the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes worldwide in the past few decades, one may ask what is wrong with humans. Geneticists tell us that the human genome has not changed markedly in such a short time. Therefore, ...
The tall and short of diseases
Nov 25, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Research shows that being taller means a fatter pay check and an increased risk of some cancers.
Popular diabetes drugs linked to increased risk of heart failure and death
Medicine & Health / Medications
Dec 04, 2009 |
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Sulphonylureas, a type of drug widely used to treat type 2 diabetes, carries a greater risk of heart failure and death compared with metformin, another popular antidiabetes drug.
Good cholesterol not as protective in people with type 2 diabetes
Dec 21, 2009 |
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High-density lipoprotein (HDL), known as "good" cholesterol, isn’t as protective for people with type 2 diabetes, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Breastfeeding protects women from metabolic syndrome, a diabetes and heart disease predictor
Dec 03, 2009 |
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Breastfeeding a child may lower a woman’s risk of developing Metabolic Syndrome, a condition linked to heart disease and diabetes in women, according to a Kaiser Permanente study that was published today online ahead of print ...
Study finds over 90 percent of people with gum disease are at risk for diabetes
Dec 14, 2009 |
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The study, led by Dr. Shiela Strauss, Associate Professor of Nursing and Co-Director of the Statistics and Data Management Core for NYU's Colleges of Dentistry and Nursing, examined data from 2,923 adult participants in the ...
Discovery of new gene called Brd2 that regulates obesity and diabetes
Dec 15, 2009 |
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The chance discovery of a genetic mutation that makes mice enormously fat but protects them from diabetes has given researchers at Boston University School of Medicine, USA, new insights into the cellular mechanisms that ...
Regular coffee, decaf and tea all associated with reduced risk for diabetes
Dec 14, 2009 |
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Individuals who drink more coffee (regular or decaffeinated) or tea appear to have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to an analysis of previous studies reported in the December 14/28 issue of Archives of ...
Smoking cessation results mixed among Ohio's Appalachian women
Dec 03, 2009 |
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In the Appalachian region of the country — where smoking rates are high, tobacco is often a cash crop and income and education levels are low — a smoking cessation effort led by non-medical professionals was successful in ...
Arizona State and Mayo Clinic partner to combat metabolic syndrome
Dec 17, 2009 |
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Arizona State University and Mayo Clinic in Arizona are joining forces in a partnership to investigate metabolic syndrome - a cluster of high-risk medical factors that include increased blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, ...
New tool for early diabetes detection in adults
Dec 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A simple questionnaire developed by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College can promote early detection of diabetes in adults so they can dramatically reduce their risk.
Proximity to convenience stores fosters child obesity
Dec 17, 2009 |
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Childhood obesity is directly related to how close kids live to convenience stores, according to the preliminary findings of a major Canadian study presented at the Entretiens Jacques-Cartier in Lyon, France. The ongoing ...
