What Is Diabetes?

What is diabetes? Diabetes is condition characterized by the body's inability to properly convert food into energy. In people with diabetes, the body does not make enough insulin or it does not respond to insulin properly. The most common type of diabetes is type 2 diabetes; other types of diabetes include type 1 diabetes and gestational diabetes.

 

What Is Diabetes? -- An Introduction

Diabetes is a chronic condition in which the body cannot properly convert food into energy. Most food that a person eats is eventually broken down into blood glucose (also called blood sugar), which cells need for energy and growth. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose enter cells. In people with diabetes, the body does not make enough insulin, or it does not respond to insulin properly. This causes glucose to build up in the blood instead of moving into the cells.
 

What Is Diabetes? -- Types of Diabetes

The most common type of diabetes is type 2 diabetes (formerly called adult-onset diabetes or non-insulin-dependent diabetes). People can develop type 2 diabetes at any age, even in childhood. Other diabetes types include:
 

What Is Diabetes? -- Symptoms

 
  • Fatigue
  • Nausea
  • A need to urinate frequently
  • Excessive thirst
  • Weight loss
  • Blurred vision
  • Frequent infections
  • Sores that do not heal.
     
However, some people with diabetes do not experience any symptoms.
 

What is Diabetes? -- Diagnosis

 Diagnosing diabetes can be done with an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) or a fasting plasma glucose test (FPG). The fasting plasma glucose test is the preferred test for diagnosing diabetes. Research has shown that the oral glucose tolerance test is more sensitive than the fasting plasma glucose test for diagnosing diabetes, but it is less convenient to administer. Diagnosing diabetes in pregnant women (a condition called gestational diabetes) is based on plasma glucose values measured during the OGTT.
 

What Is Diabetes? -- Treatment

In the conventional medical approach, people with diabetes learn to keep their blood glucose in as healthy a range as possible. They do this by:
 
  • Following a healthy food plan
  • Controlling their weight
  • Being physically active
  • Testing their blood glucose regularly.
     
Some people also need to take medicine, such as insulin injections or prescription diabetes pills.
 
When lifestyle changes and medical treatment are combined to rigorously maintain and control blood sugar in the normal range, managing type 2 diabetes minimizes the serious complications of the disease. This enables patients to lead full, productive lives.
 

What Is Diabetes? -- Complications

Over time, the high blood glucose levels caused by diabetes can lead to complications in the:
 
  • Eyes
  • Blood vessels
  • Nerves
  • Kidneys
  • Feet
  • Teeth
  • Skin
  • Heart.
     
Such complications can be prevented or delayed by keeping blood glucose, blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides in a normal or close-to-normal range.
 
Some people develop a condition called insulin resistance or pre-diabetes before they develop type 2 diabetes. When insulin resistance is present, the body does not respond properly to the insulin it has released to lower blood glucose, so the pancreas releases more insulin to try to keep up with the excess glucose. If the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin, over time, this leads to type 2 diabetes. Obesity, aging, and lack of exercise can all play a role in developing insulin resistance and heightening the risk for diabetes.
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD