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Overview of Diabetes

Diabetes is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels.
Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough insulin, or the cells of the body not responding properly to the insulin produced.
Diabetes accounts for approximately 1.5 million deaths per year.
There is no widely accepted cure for most cases of diabetes.
As of 2019, an estimated 463 million people had diabetes worldwide accounting for 8.8% of the adult population.
Type 2 diabetes makes up about 90% of all diabetes cases.
Diabetes increases the risk of long-term complications such as damage to blood vessels and subsequent cardiovascular disease.
The primary complications of diabetes due to damage in small blood vessels include damage to the eyes, kidneys, and nerves.
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by loss of the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreatic islets, leading to insulin deficiency.
Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance, which may be combined with relatively reduced insulin secretion.
Gestational diabetes resembles type 2 diabetes in several respects, involving a combination of relatively inadequate insulin secretion and responsiveness.
Insulin is the principal hormone that regulates the uptake of glucose from the blood into most cells of the body.Diabetes: Causes, Diagnosis, Prevention, Management, and Epidemiology
Insulin regulates glucose levels in the body by inhibiting the breakdown of glycogen, stimulating glucose transport into cells, and stimulating the storage of glucose in the form of glycogen.
Insulin is released by beta cells in the pancreas in response to rising levels of blood glucose, and glucagon acts in the opposite manner to insulin.
Persistently high levels of blood glucose can lead to poor protein synthesis, metabolic derangements, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Diabetes mellitus is diagnosed by testing for glucose content in the blood, and a fasting glucose level of two measurements at or above 7.0 mmol/L is considered diagnostic.
Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented, while type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed with lifestyle changes such as maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, and eating a healthy diet.
Diabetes management aims to keep blood sugar levels close to normal through diet, exercise, weight loss, and medication.
Self-management and support are important for people with diabetes to prevent complications.
In 2017, 425 million people had diabetes worldwide, with type 2 diabetes accounting for 90% of cases.
Diabetes resulted in 1.5 million deaths in 2012, making it the 8th leading cause of death, and an additional 2.2 million deaths were attributable to high blood glucose and associated complications.
Rates of diabetes are higher in more developed countries, but the greatest increase in rates has been seen in low- and middle-income countries due to urbanization and lifestyle changes.
Medications used to treat diabetes act by lowering blood sugar levels through different mechanisms, and tight glucose control is associated with fewer complications.
Weight loss surgery is often effective in both controlling blood sugar levels and decreasing mortality, but there is a short-term mortality risk.Diabetes: History, Types, and Prevalence
The prevalence of diabetes is increasing worldwide due to various factors such as sedentary lifestyles, less physically demanding work, and increased intake of high-energy-dense but nutrient-poor foods.
The global number of diabetes cases may rise by 48% between 2017 and 2045.
As of 2020, 38% of all US adults had prediabetes, an early stage of diabetes.
Diabetes was one of the first diseases described, and the term "diabetes" or "to pass through" was first used in 230 BCE by the Greek Apollonius of Memphis.
The earliest surviving work with a detailed reference to diabetes is that of Aretaeus of Cappadocia (2nd or early 3rd century CE).
Two types of diabetes were identified as separate conditions for the first time by the Indian physicians Sushruta and Charaka in 400–500 CE.
Effective treatment of diabetes was not developed until the early part of the 20th century when Canadians Frederick Banting and Charles Herbert Best isolated and purified insulin in 1921 and 1922.
The 1989 "St. Vincent Declaration" was the result of international efforts to improve the care accorded to those with diabetes.
People with diabetes who have neuropathic symptoms are twice as likely to be unemployed as those without the symptoms.
Diabetes-related emergency room visit rates in the United States were higher among people from the lowest income communities than from the highest income communities.
Diabetes mellitus is also occasionally known as "sugar diabetes" to differentiate it from diabetes insipidus.
Diabetes can occur in mammals or reptiles, and in animals, it is most commonly encountered in dogs and cats.