Diabetes

A chronic disease

Diabetes mellitus is a disease where the body does not produce, or properly use, insulin, the hormone needed to facilitate entry of glucose (created when foods are digested) in body cells and to convert it into glycogen, one of the reserves of energy in the organism. People with diabetes do not have enough insulin and/or are insulin-resistant and are thus unable to make this necessary conversion into glycogen. They therefore have abnormally high levels of glucose, which is referred to as high blood glucose or hyperglycemia.

In type 1 diabetes there is a complete deficiency in insulin production and secretion. This occurs when a person’s immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells in the pancreas. Therefore, type 1 diabetes is called an autoimmune disease, it is most common in young people. Type 2 diabetes usually develops later in life and is a combination of insulin deficiency and insulin resistance. It is often associated with overweight.

Controlling diabetes to minimize risks

Although diabetes cannot be cured, it can be treated or controlled very effectively.
The parameters to be monitored closely in diabetes are:

• Fasting blood glucose (glycemia) level, which should be held as close as possible to normal (at least below 7 mmol/l);
• glycosylated hemoglobin or HbA1C (A1C) levels, which give an estimate of average blood glucose levels over the past two to three months. Nondiabetics naturally maintain an HbA1C level of between 4 and 6%, while diabetics attempt to keep their HbA1C level below 7% or, better, below 6.5%.

Uncontrolled diabetes carries a high risk of severe complications

A person suffering from diabetes with A1C levels that remain constantly above normal (uncontrolled diabetes) runs a high risk of developing severe complications in the short and long term: blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, stroke, impotence or lower limb amputation.

Soaring epidemiology

Millions of people around the world suffer from diabetes and its complications. This disease affects 200 million people today and WHO statistics predict that over 300 million people will be affected by 2025.