What is Diabetes?

Diabetes mellitus, also referred to as diabetes

…is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced.

    This high blood sugar produces the classical symptoms of frequent urination, increased thirst and increased hunger.

There are three main types of diabetes:

   Type 1 diabetes:  results from the body's failure to produce insulin, and presently requires the person to inject insulin. (Also referred to as insulin-Dependent diabetes.)

   Type 2 diabetes:  results from insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, sometimes combined with an absolute insulin deficiency. (Formerly referred to as non-insulin-dependent diabetes.)

   Gestational diabetes:  is when pregnant women, who have never had diabetes before, have a high blood glucose level during pregnancy. It may precede development of type 2 diabetes.

All forms of diabetes have been treatable since insulin became available in 1921, and type 2 diabetes may be controlled with medications.

Both type 1 and 2 are chronic conditions that usually cannot be cured. 

Pancreas transplants have been tried with limited success in type 1 diabetes.

Gastric bypass surgery has been successful in many with morbid obesity and type 2 DM.

Gestational diabetes usually resolves after delivery.

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