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Understanding Diabetes: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

🩺 Understanding Diabetes: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention

🔹 Introduction

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases affecting millions of people worldwide. It is a metabolic disorder that causes high blood sugar levels due to either insufficient insulin production or the body’s inability to use insulin effectively. With changing lifestyles, poor diets, and reduced physical activity, diabetes is becoming more prevalent across all age groups.

This article explores diabetes in-depth — its types, causes, symptoms, treatment, and prevention — to spread awareness and encourage early management.

🔹 What is Diabetes?

Diabetes mellitus, commonly referred to as diabetes, is a chronic condition that affects how the body processes blood glucose (sugar). Glucose is an essential energy source, and insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps glucose enter cells. In diabetes, this process is disrupted, leading to high blood sugar levels which, if left unmanaged, can damage organs and systems over time.

🔹 Types of Diabetes

1. Type 1 Diabetes

  • An autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
  • Usually diagnosed in children and young adults.
  • Requires lifelong insulin therapy.

2. Type 2 Diabetes

  • The most common type.
  • Occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin or doesn’t produce enough.
  • Strongly linked to obesity, poor lifestyle, and family history.

3. Gestational Diabetes

  • Develops during pregnancy.
  • Usually disappears after childbirth, but increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later.

4. Prediabetes

  • A condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
  • A warning sign and a chance to reverse the condition through lifestyle changes.

🔹 Causes of Diabetes

  • Genetics: Family history plays a significant role.
  • Obesity: Extra fat, especially around the abdomen, increases insulin resistance.
  • Poor Diet: High sugar and carbohydrate intake.
  • Physical Inactivity: Sedentary lifestyle slows glucose metabolism.
  • Hormonal Changes: Especially during pregnancy or due to certain illnesses.
  • Age: Risk increases after 45 years, although now younger people are also being diagnosed.

🔹 Common Symptoms of Diabetes

  • Frequent urination (especially at night)
  • Excessive thirst and hunger
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Fatigue and weakness
  • Blurred vision
  • Slow healing of wounds
  • Tingling or numbness in hands and feet
  • Frequent infections (skin, gum, urinary tract)

Many people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms in the early stages. Therefore, regular checkups are vital.

🔹 Complications of Diabetes

If not managed properly, diabetes can lead to serious complications such as:

  • Heart disease and stroke
  • Kidney damage (nephropathy)
  • Eye damage (retinopathy)
  • Nerve damage (neuropathy)
  • Foot problems, possibly leading to amputation
  • Alzheimer’s disease (increased risk)

🔹 Diagnosis of Diabetes

A doctor may recommend several tests to diagnose diabetes:

  • Fasting Blood Sugar Test: Measures blood sugar after overnight fasting.
  • HbA1c Test: Measures average blood sugar over the past 2–3 months.
  • Oral Glucose Tolerance Test: Checks how the body processes sugar after a sweet drink.
  • Random Blood Sugar Test: Taken at any time regardless of when you last ate.

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