Diabetes mellitus

14. 11. The World Diabetes day

What is  diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus (DM), also reffered to in public as  diabetes, is a disease which has accompanied manhood since ever. The organism suffering from this disease does not produce or sufficiently use inzulin, a hormon, essential for metabolism of sugar in body. This results in increasing of blood sugar, the whole body becomes gradually affected, including organs and tissues. The longer the organism suffers from higher level of sugar the worse health complication it causes

Types of diabetes

We can recognize several types of this disease.  Diabetes of the type 1, also called IDDM or “juvenile diabetes”, was in past considered to be a hereditary disease. It can appear in younger age and it is not influenced by the lifestyle of the patient..

The most common type of  diabetes is  the  2nd type, reffered to also as NIDDM or “adult-onset diabetes“.  It mostly occurs in connection with a  civilization disease ,  so called  metabolic syndrom X, which který se projevuje high blood preassure , obesity,  high-blood sugar level,  high level of  uric acid and elevated liver diagnostic tests. We already know that this  type  occurs very often in higher age, usually reflects long-term bad lifestyle and  is very often of hereditary origin. The third , less frequent type of diabetes, is called  gestational diabetes It occurs with pregnant women who have never had diabetes before and  during pregnancy suffer from  high blood glucose level.

The  health impact diabetes

Higher level of glucosis in blood occuring with all types of diabetes  endangers  patients life from the longterm perspective as  it influences the  development of atheosclerosis, contributing to  faster thickening of artery walls and their closure which can cause heart attack or stroke.  Apart from that, it influences negatively level of blood glucosis  and thus also affec small arthery vessels , e.g. eye or of lower  limb vessels. It results in worse quality of life, serious heath complications (blindness, strokes, amputations, kidney failure) and also shortening of patient´s life.

Symptoms of this disease

With regard to the fact that this disease is not accompanied by any pain, the initial symptoms are very  different from other illnesses. The main symptoms of this disease are weight loss, frequent urination, the feeling of thirst, and at latter stages also blurred vision. Slow-healing of sores and unexplicable and reapeatebladder and vaginal infections as well as

Prevention

Is it possible to prevent ourselves from diabetes? The best prevention, especially with diabetes 2. type is right lifestyle, sufficient physical activity, various and healthy diet. Although diabetes is a  very serious disease, it does not restrict you from having high quality life. It is however necessary to keep dietary regime and based on need use insulin or medicine, which can postpone impairment of organs to a certain extent.

If you have any of the above  mentioned symptoms  you,  do not hesitate  to consult your heath state with your GP practicioner. Early diagnosis of the disease beginning  of treatment can  lessen possible health complications.

MUDr. Karin Taussig