Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes Mellitus is a disorder in which blood glucose levels increase due to the deficiency of insulin. Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas which is necessary to change excess glucose of blood into glycogen. Insulin allows sugar to move from blood into cells.

Doctors believe that it is a hereditary disease. It is usually a heterogeneous group of disorders, which are characterized by elevated blood sugar level. Diabetes is unable to metabolize blood sugar in their body. They pass glucose in their urine. Diabetes is a leading cause of kidney failure, adult blindness, lower limb amputation and heart diseases. High sugar level cause narrowing of blood vessels which results in poor circulation that causes harm to brain nerves resulting in neuropathy, eyes, legs, skin resulting in angina, and skin breakdown.

There are two major types of diabetes. Type 1 is insulin dependent Diabetes Mellitus. Type 2 is non insulin dependent Diabetes Mellitus. Type 1 is also called juvenile Diabetes Mellitus because it is usually occur in early age before forty. It arises due to deficiency of pancreatic hormone that normally routes blood glucose to cells for use. it is an auto immune disorder. The immune system backfires manufactures auto antibodies against body, s own cells. Sometimes, specific viral infections activate auto immune response. T-Cells of immune system attack pancreas and destroy insulin production. As a result, pancreas does not produce insulin. Diabetes of type I must receive exogenous insulin to survive.

Progress is being made in understanding the genetic basis of this disease. The insulin gene is located on short arm of chromosome 11. Polymorphism and genetic variations within this locus is responsible for diabetes type I susceptibility. But today.it is no more just a recessive single gene trait, rather it is multi factorial inheritance associated with several alleles.

Diabetes Mellitus type 2 is non insulin dependent. It accounts for 90% of all the diabetic patients. These persons produce some endogenous insulin themselves, but their body cells gradually fail to respond to insulin resistance. It occurs among people over the age of 40, and is more common among the obese. Obesity increases insulin resistance. As exercise reduces obesity it indirectly increases insulin sensitivity and improves glucose tolerance.

There definitely exists a genetic component in the form of an underlying tendency to develop diabetes under certain environmental conditions. About 2%-5% of type II diabetes gets the disease early in life before 25 years age. It is called maturity onset diabetes of the young can be inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. About 50% of cases of diabetes are caused by mutations in gene. Diabetes enzyme usually converts glucose to glucose diabetes in pancreas. Diabetes can also be caused by mutations in any of the four genes which encode transcription factors involved in pancreatic development and insulin regulation.