Types and Causes of Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic, incurable disease that takes place when the human organism doesn’t produce enough amount of insulin. Subsequently, it leads to the excessive amount of sugar in blood. Insulin, which is produced by the pancreas, is a hormone that helps the cells of the human body use the glucose (sugar) in food. Cells need this energy to work in the right way.

There are several predominant types of diabetes. Among the are:

Type 1 diabetes is also known as insulin-dependent, juvenile-onset or immune-mediated diabetes. Usually it is caused by an auto-immune reaction where the organism’s defence system attacks the insulin-producing cells. The underlying cause for this is not fully investigated. People with type 1 diabetes produce no insulin or a very small amount of it. The disease can strike people of any age, but usually it happens in kids, teenagers or young adults.

Type 2 diabetes is the most usual kind of diabetes. The pancreas of patients suffering from this type still produces insulin, but it does not produce enough or it has trouble using it. Among its symptoms are: fatigue or nausea, frequent urination, sleeping disorders, unusual thirst, weight loss, blurred vision, frequent infections, and slow healing of wounds or sores. But some people have no symptoms. Type 2 diabetes usually develops in adults over 35 years old, and especially in those who are overweight. But recently type 2 diabetes has begun to appear more in children and teenagers, as more and more of them are becoming overweight.

There's also the so called Pre-Diabetes, or Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT). It occurs when when the blood glucose level is higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes.

There different factors that can cause different types of diabetes. It can be insulin resistance. Scholars they have discovered two possibilities here. The first could be a defect in insulin receptors on cells. Like an appliance that needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet, insulin has to bind to a receptor to function. Several things can go wrong with receptors. There may not be enough receptors for insulin to bind to, or a defect in the receptors may prevent insulin from binding.

It also can be serum lipids and lipoproteins, when high triglyceride and cholesterol level in the blood are related to high blood sugars, or sarcoidosis, a multi-system disorder characterized in affected organs by a type of inflammation called granulomas. But still it is unknowns what causes this inflammation. Sarcoidosis can occur in any part of the central or peripheral nervous system. When sarcoidosis affects the central nervous system, various cranial nerves can be damaged and may paralyze specific areas of the body.

Last but not least, it is diabetes mellitus. It results from a defect in the production of insulin by the pancreas. As a matter of fact, diabetes mellitus is the 3rd largest killer in America. Without insulin, the body cannot utilize glucose, which is an important blood sugar. A blood glucose level above 180mg percent leads to excessive amount of sugar to spill over in the urine and make it sweet. Some people can develop diabetes mellitus as a result of stress, obesity, or pregnancy. A diet high in sugar and white flour can result in diabetes. Also certain medications can also cause it: oral contraceptives, adrenal corticoids, diphenylhydantoin, or thiazide water pills.