There are two overarching causes of diabetes mellitus simply called type 1 and type 2.Insulin is a hormone which allows sugar to move from the blood into tissues to be used as energy. The diagram shows the process by which sugars moved from your mouth to your cells 1. You eat food, it goes to your stomach, its converted into glucose. 2. This glucose enters the blood stream from the stomach 3. The pancreas produces insulin in response to the high blood sugars. 4. Insulin is a hormone that allows sugar to be moved out of the blood into tissues where is used as energy. 5. Glucose levels in the blood should balance out because insulin has done its job Type 1 diabetes mellitusA patient with type 1 diabetes is insulin-deficient. In other words, this patient is missing "keys". This deficiency is the result of autoimmune events in which white blood cells specifically target and destroy the beta-cells of the pancreas (which produce and release insulin). For this reason, type 1 diabetics will always need to take insulin because they cannot produce their own. Type 2 diabetes mellitusIn contrast, patients with type 2 diabetes are still producing their own insulin and but the root problem is instead "insulin-resistance", meaning that plenty of keys are available but that they are not working properly with the available locks. In fact, the pancreas might actually release more insulin than usual in an attempt to help more glucose leave the blood. Although not fully understood, insulin resistance appears to be the result of genetic risk factors often in combination with a sedentary lifestyle and poor diet. For this reason, diet and exercise in combination with oral medications may be sufficient to regulate blood sugar in some patients. However, the progression of the disease often mandates insulin injections long-term because beta-cells may begin to die out. In other words, type 2 can progress to an insulin-deficiency over time.
There are secondary forms of type 2 diabetes mellitus that include Maturity Onset Diabetes of Youth (MODY) which are identified genetic mutations causing high blood sugars and steroid-induced diabetes mellitus. Gestational diabetes mellitus is a form of type 2 diabetes that is diagnosed during pregnancy. There are other conditions and medications that are associated with or causative of diabetes mellitus type 2: Acromegaly, Cushing's Syndrome, Glucagonoma, Pheochromocytoma, Hyperthyroidism, Somatostatinoma, Aldosteronoma, Thiazides, Diazoxide, Glucocorticoids, Niacin, Prader Willi syndrome, Turner's syndrome, etc.. The image shows the most accepted naming system for the causes of diabetes mellitus. Related pages Overview of Diabetes Blood Sugar testing Diabetes education Insulin pumps Insulin resistance and diabetes type 2 Diabetes type 1 Long-term Complications of Diabetes Normal sugar metabolism Short-Term Complications of Diabetes Type 2 diabetes medications Pre diabetes Diabetes type 2 Diet Intensive insulin management Updated 10-2014 Dr. Jogi and Katie Spence |
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