Types of diabetes: risks, characteristics and treatment

What are the main types of diabetes mellitus and how do they differ?

There are disorders that generate great concern due to their great impact on the population. A clear example is diabetes mellitus. This group of metabolic disorders have in common that they cause an increase in Blood glucose (hyperglycemia).

Diabetes has a high prevalence worldwide. In 2015, approximately 400 million cases worldwide. Alarming data, and even more so if predictions indicate that this value will be on the rise, especially one of the types of diabetes: type II.

To understand the diversity of forms in which this set of pathologies can present themselves, in this article we will review the different types of diabetes, in this article we will review the types of diabetes that exist, describing their causes and symptoms.The causes and symptoms associated with each type of diabetes are described in this article.

Diabetes throughout history

Humanity has suffered from this chronic disease since ancient times. There is data that cases were already recognized by the year 1500 BC in Ancient Egypt. It was not until a few years later that the Ancient Greek physician, Aretaeus of Cappadocia, gave a name to this disorder, which has stuck to this day.

"Diabetes" is Greek for "runs through."It refers to one of the most striking symptoms of the condition, low fluid retention. It is a pathology that is part of the metabolic disorders, which are diseases in which health problems arise due to alterations in the way certain molecules are broken down to obtain the resources that the body's cells need to survive and continue to function well.

In the case of diabetes, the problem arises from an excess concentration of glucose in the blood circulating in the body, resulting in various complications due to a chain reaction.

Types of diabetes

There are different types of diabetes, many of them minor cases, but they all have in common that they hyperglycemia and the problems that result from it: nervous complications: nervous, cardiovascular and renal complications.

Mainly, we can divide diabetes into four groups: type I diabetes, type II diabetes, gestational diabetes and other types. In this last group we can highlight the MODY syndrome, although we can also find diabetes caused indirectly, for example by an infection in the pancreas or induced by drug treatment.

1. Diabetes mellitus type 1 (DM1)

Formerly also called "insulin-dependent diabetes" or "childhood diabetes", it accounts for about 5% of diagnosed cases.

Type I diabetes is characterized by the absence of the hormone insulinwhich stimulates the uptake of glucose into the blood by the cells. This disappearance is due to the destruction of the β-cells of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, the site of production of the hormone, by the immune system.

This disorder usually develops in children or adolescentsHowever, there are cases of the onset of the disease in adult stages, which are known as LADA (Latent Autoimmune Disease in the Adult, i.e. "latent autoimmune disease in adults").

The risk of suffering DM1 is somewhat complex, since it is a combination of a genetic predisposition together with the interaction of certain environmental factors that trigger the problem (infection or diet). This makes it difficult to prevent the disease.

Symptoms that indicate this disturbance of metabolism are frequent elimination of urine, unusual thirst, continuous hunger, weight loss, irritability and tiredness. They appear suddenly and their only treatment is the lifelong administration of insulin to the patient, in addition to rigorous control of the glycemic level, since there is an easy tendency to ketonic coma.

2. Diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2)

Formerly known as "non-insulin-dependent diabetes", it is the most widespread type of diabetes, accounting for 85% to 90% of patients. between 85% and 90% of diagnosed cases. diagnosed. Hyperglycemia is caused by the body's resistance to insulin or a deficiency in insulin secretion, but never by an autoimmune attack.

The main risk factors risk factors are related to lifestyle, such as lack of exercise, lack of exercise, lack of exercise, lack of exercise, lack of exercise, lack of exercise and lack of exercise.The main risk factors are related to lifestyle, such as lack of exercise, overweight, obesity or stress. As it is a complex disease, there are other relevant factors such as genetic factors or alterations of the intestinal flora itself. It is a chronic disease that usually appears in adults (over 40 years of age), although cases are beginning to be seen in young people.

The symptoms are very similar to type I diabetes, but to a lesser extent. but to a lesser extent, since it is a sequential process and not sudden. The biggest problem is that it is diagnosed once the condition has been developing for some time.

Initial treatments usually consist of exercise and diet plans, since if it is not very developed it is possible to reverse the effects. In more severe cases, therapy with antidiabetic drugs is necessary, which reduce blood glucose, although in the long run insulin injections are needed.

3. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)

This is a form of prediabetes that can appear during pregnancy. second or third trimester of pregnancy. It is detected as hyperglycemia in mothers who before pregnancy were not diagnosed with any other type of diabetes.

One of the possible causes of this disorder is that the hormones that are produced during pregnancy interfere with insulin functionality. During the first trimester of pregnancy, blood glucose levels can be monitored to rule out GDM.

Some risk factors are having had previous GDM in another pregnancy, having had several miscarriages, or having a family history of diabetes.

More than the symptoms, the biggest problem is the consequences of this increase in glucose, which, although they do not reach the values established for diagnosing diabetes, are higher than normal.

Gestational diabetes can trigger problems in childbirth macrosomia (excessive growth of the baby) as well as increasing the predisposition of both the child and the mother to suffer from the disease. The usual treatment is lifestyle management, i.e. exercise and diet.

4. MODY syndrome and other types

The last group is a catch-all for all types of diabetes with a much lower incidence, such as type 3.

However, one can be highlighted for its incidence, between 2% to 5% of diagnoses: this is the MODY syndrome.

Also known as monogenic diabetes, the acronym stands for "Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young". (because it resembles DM2 but develops in non-obese adolescents. Unlike the others, this disorder is monogenic (caused by a single gene) and is not a complex disease. The greatest risk is having a family history of this type of disorder.

So far, up to 6 different genes have been found that can develop the syndrome. All of them have in common that, when mutated, the β cells do not synthesize or release insulin correctly, generating diabetes. It is treated primarily with oral antidiabetic drugs, although in some cases it can be oral antidiabetic drugs, although in the long run insulin is injected as in DM2.