Here is some information on the etiology of diabetes mellitus. In medicine, etiology is the study of causes of diseases. Diabetes mellitus is as chronic disease. It is characterized by either the relative or absolute deficiency of insulin that results in glucose intolerance. About 2% of the
population in the U.S. suffer from this disease. What happens is this. Glucose taken into the body during a meal is not metabolized at the normal rate, so it accumulates in the blood where it will be excreted in the urine. The glucose in the urine causes osmotic dieresis, which leads to increased urination. The stimulation of protein breakdown that causes amino acids for gluconeogenisus causes muscle wasting and weight loss. These are the classic symptoms of severe insulin deficiency and are
most commonly found in type I diabetes.
Type I Diabetes
It is interesting to read about the history of diabetes and how treatment of the disease has progress. In general there are two types of diabetes, appropriately called type 1 and type 2. The easiest way to categorize these two types are; type I diabetes mellitus is insulin dependent and type 2 diabetes mellitus is non-insulin dependent. In type I diabetes, the cause is due to the destruction of pancreatic B cells, however, the cause of the destruction of the B cells is yet unknown, although there is an indication that autoimmunity is believed to be the major mechanism involved. Plasma insulin levels are very low or non-existent in type I diabetes. Type I diabetes also occurs primarily in juveniles, commonly between the ages of 10 – 14, however it is possible for it to occur in some adults who are obese or elderly if that is when hyperglycemia first appears.
Type 2 Diabetes
Underscoring the need for more research into diabetes is the fact that the etiology of diabetes mellitus of type 2 diabetes is less understood than type I diabetes. It seems there are two factors that have been identified with type 2 diabetes. The first is impaired insulin release. Although basal release of insulin is sometimes normal, it is the rapid release of insulin after eating that is impaired. As a result, there is a failure on the part of the body to handle the carbohydrate load. In most cases some level of insulin secretion is maintained and therefore the abnormality of glucose metabolism is limited. In these cases insulin secretion can be induced by appropriate medication. Insulin injections are not essential in treatment. There is no doubt that a family history of diabetes is a strong genetic factor in the disease. Among type 2 diabetics, about 50% of those diagnosed with the disease have a family history of diabetes. The second factor is insulin resistance. In this case, a defect in the tissue response to insulin seems to be a major role player. Studies have shown that this occurs most frequently in obese people or women who are pregnant. Normal people who become obese or pregnant show that the B cells secrete an increased amount of insulin in order to compensate. However, those people who have a genetic predisposition to diabetes cannot compensate due to their inherent defect in insulin secretion. In summary, it follows that type 2 diabetes is generally pre-dated by obesity or pregnancy.
As can be seen, the etiology of diabetes mellitus is largely unknown, but it is more understood at this point in time than ever before, however, the effects of the disease are understood and treatment is available allowing those with either type of diabetes to live a long life.
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