Diabetes-Mellitus also simply known as diabetes is a medical condition that results in high blood-sugar levels in the body. The condition can arise as a result inadequate insulin production, defects in insulin action or as a result of both.

Common Types of Diabetes

The most common types of diabetes are type 1 and 2.

Type-2 Diabetes

It’s a chronic disease which affects the process of blood sugar production in the body. It’s the most common type of diabetes with over 90 percent of all the reported diabetes cases worldwide being type 2. Although it can be controlled by eating a healthy diet, working out as well as monitoring the amount of glucose in the blood, diabetes type 2 is a progressive condition which gradually but steadily gets worse. Type-2 Diabetes is common in overweight people and they are usually at a much higher risk of contracting it compared to persons with healthy BMI

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Type-1 Diabetes

This is a chronic disease that’s caused when the pancreas starts to produce a minimal or no amount of insulin. Type 1 is not as common as Type 2 and it represents around ten percent of all the reported cases of diabetes worldwide. All Type 1 diabetes patients must carry out frequent blood tests and follow a healthy diet. They will also be required to take lifetime injections of insulin.

Other types of diabetes include;

• Pre-diabetes – a medical condition where there’s high amount of blood sugar in the body, but not very high enough for it to be considered as diabetes type 2.

• Gestational diabetes- increase in blood sugar levels in pregnant women.

Common Symptoms of Diabetes

• Significant weight loss caused by deficiency of insulin in the body

• An increased amount of urine-output which leads to dehydration.

• Increased dehydration which leads to increased consumption of water.

• Constant fatigue.

• Vomiting or Nausea.

• Frequent vaginal, skin and bladder infections.

• Blurred vision caused by blood – glucose fluctuations.

• Slow healing of wounds.

• Constant hunger.

• Numbness or tingling in toes/ feet.

Causes of Diabetes

Some of the most common causes of diabetes are being obese or overweight, inheritance, an increased amount of triglycerides in the blood, low amounts of high-density lipoproteins ( HDL) in the body, living a sedentary – lifestyle as well as hypertension.

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Treatment of Diabetes

All the different types of diabetes can be treated or controlled. Type-1 Diabetes patients are normally treated using insulin injections in combination with exercise and a special diet. Type-2 diabetes which has no any known cure lasts for a lifetime and it can be controlled using a combination of tablets, special diet, and exercise although insulin injections might also be administered at some point.

Note that if any of the above-mentioned diabetes isn’t controlled well enough, it may result in complications such as:

• Foot problems like gangrene and neuropathy.

• Eye complications such as cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic- retinopathy among others.

• Heart disease like ischemic.

• Skin infections and disorders.

• Hypertension. • Loss of hearing.

• Gum-disease.

• Ketoacidosis which is a combination of acidosis and ketosis.

• Mental health problems such as anxiety, depression among others

*The author of this blog is not a medical professional and this article does not contain professional medical advice. This blog is not intended to substitute for medical advice, treatment, or diagnosis. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of the contents of this article. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.