Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus (commonly known as just diabetes) is a condition in which the levels of glucose in the blood are abnormally high. This is a result of insufficient insulin production. Insulin is a protein hormone that is made by the pancreas. Its function is to cause cells in the body to take in glucose from the blood. If insufficient insulin is produced to keep blood glucose levels under control, blood sugar goes up, leading to diabetes. The hallmark of diabetes is sweet tasting urine because the elevated blood sugar causes some glucose to be excreted in the urine. Elevated blood sugar can lead to a number of health problems, including poor circulation and cardiovascular disease. There are two different types of diabetes with different causes.
Type I
Type I diabetes is caused by an auto-immune disorder. In patients with Type I diabetes, the immune system is abnormally activated and believes that certain cells in pancreas (known as beta cells) are foreign. This causes the immune system to attack and kill off the beta cells. Because the beta cells are responsible for insulin manufacturing and secretion, this type of diabetes is marked by very low or near absent insulin manufacture. Type I diabetes typically affects people early in life (including childhood) and requires regular administration as a treatment, because insulin production is so low (causing it to be termed "insulin-dependent diabetes). Because there are genetic aspects to many auto-immune diseases, some cases of Type I diabetes are thought to be hereditary.
Type II
Type II diabetes is different than Type I in several respects. It is marked early on by resistance to insulin, which means that the muscle, liver, and fat cells in the body do not efficiently take up glucose in response to insulin. Initially the pancreas is able to compensate for this by increasing insulin production. However, over time this production drops, leading to a rise in blood sugar. Type II diabetes is commonly termed "adult-onset diabetes) because it tends to affect people later in life, although it can occur at any age. It is not completely understood how Type II diabetes occurs, though obesity and physical inactivity are major risk factors for this disease.
