The chronic disease diabetes is a metabolic disorder causing chronically increased levels of glucose in the blood. Complex metabolic changes lead to damage of many organs. Most common complications include blindness, heart and blood vessel disease, stroke, kidney failure, amputations, and nerve damage. Diabetes will occur when the pancreas produces very little or no insulin (type 1 diabetes), when the body develops an insulin resistance (type 2 diabetes), or both.
There are two less common types of diabetes. Diabetes resulting from specific genetic conditions or genetic defects, surgery, drugs, malnutrition, infections, and other illnesses is sometimes referred to as type 3 diabetes. This type of diabetes accounts for 1% to 5% of all diagnosed cases. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) sometimes develops during pregnancy but usually disappears after delivery. The ICD-10 classifies type 1, type 2 and type 3 diabetes under E10-E14. GDM is classified under O24.4.
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Common symptoms of diabetes mellitus are excessive thirst, increased urine elimination, fatigue, genital itching or regular episodes of thrush, slow healing of wounds and sudden weight loss. In severe cases, diabetes can lead to unconsciousness, coma and death. The diagnosis of diabetes mellitus can be confirmed through a plasma or blood glucose test, measuring either fasting glucose, or glucose concentrations 2 hours after a glucose load (oral glucose tolerance test).
See also:
WHO diagnostic criteria for diabetes mellitus or its preliminary stages (IGT and IFG)
The EUphocus Diabetes prevention and care presents a selection of data collected by the EUCID project (European Core Indicators on Diabetes; data collection for 2004-2006). These include data from the general population on incidence, prevalence and mortality, data on risk factors in the diabetics population, as well as data on the complications of diabetes.
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A hormone made by the islet cells of the pancreas. Insulin controls the amount of sugar in the blood by moving it into the cells, where it can be used by the body for energy. Lack of or insensitivity to insulin results in diabetes.
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A medical test involving the oral administration of glucose to determine how quickly it is cleared from the blood. The test is usually used to test for diabetes, insulin resistance, and sometimes reactive hypoglycaemia.
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