Diabetes is nicknamed the "mother of all diseases", because this condition can affect many organs in the body. High blood sugar levels in diabetics can cause many complications. Some of the organs that can be affected are the heart, kidneys, eyes, blood vessels, and nervous system. Let's see more about this disease.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus or commonly called diabetes is a chronic disease. This condition is characterized by a disruption of blood sugar regulation in the body due to various things such as:
Lack of insulin production by the pancreas
Lack of body response to insulin
The influence of other hormones that inhibit insulin performance
Therefore, diabetes is divided into several types, namely:
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes mellitus is an autoimmune disorder that causes the endurance system to attack and damage the cells that produce the hormone insulin, so that the pancreas cannot produce these hormones. This will cause the body to lack insulin and increase blood glucose levels.
This condition generally affects patients under the age of 40 years, especially in adolescence. Usually the symptoms of this disease are detected more quickly at a younger age, especially in childhood or adolescence.
The cause of this condition is unclear. Experts suspect that the cause of this disease may be due to genetic and environmental factors. However, you may have a higher risk of developing this condition if:
your parents or siblings who suffer from this condition
in a state of exposure to viral diseases
appearance of autoantibodies
vitamin D deficiency, consuming cow's milk or formula milk, and cereal before 4 months of age. Although it does not directly cause this condition to occur, it is still risky.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the most common type of sugar disease, because it occurs in 90-95 percent of all cases.
Unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 sufferers continue to produce insulin. This condition is more common in adults, because it is often called adult-onset diabetes.
Even so, the exact cause of this is actually uncertain. But experts believe that genetic and environmental factors play a role in the cause of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Being overweight is a major trigger for diabetes, but not all type 2 diabetes mellitus patients are overweight.
Other types of diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that only occurs in pregnant women. This disease can cause problems in the mother and her babies if not treated. However, this condition usually resolves after giving birth.
Other types of this disease usually result from genetic syndromes, surgery, drugs, malnutrition, infections and other diseases. Diabetes insipidus is a different condition caused by the inability of the kidneys to store water. This condition is rare and can be treated.
Why can you get diabetes?
Digestion and absorption of sugar
Previously please note, that the condition of this disease is closely related to blood sugar levels (glucose). Glucose is very important for the body, because it works as an energy source for the cells and tissues of the body, especially the brain. Glucose actually comes from the food you eat and from being stored as a backup in the liver (liver). The type of glucose stored in the liver is called glycogen.
If you haven't eaten automatically blood sugar levels will be low, the liver will break down glycogen into glucose and balance your blood sugar levels. But unfortunately, the body's cells cannot use "fuel" directly without the help of the hormone insulin which should be produced by the pancreas gland.
The hormone insulin makes glucose easier to absorb by the body's cells so that it lowers sugar levels in the bloodstream. However, if you experience impaired pancreatic function to the amount of insulin production, then blood sugar levels will continue to increase.
Meanwhile, cells in the body that ultimately don't get 'fuel' will feel hungry. This then makes the body assume that it is deficient in sugar so that it breaks down glycogen again. In the end, sugar will continue to accumulate in the blood and there will be high blood sugar levels called hyperglycemia.