What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a group of diseases that affect multiple systems of the body, it is characterized by the rise of blood sugar (known as blood glucose) The blood glucose is the body’s main source of energy; it comes mainly from food. Our bodies have the pancreas, that produces a hormone called Insulin. The main role of insulin is helping glucose to enter the cell so it can be used for energy. When we don’t have enough insulin, or the body can’t efficiently make use of it, the blood glucose gets high and over time this leads to Developing Diabetes. Discovered in pharaohs mummies, the disease is a burden in Egypt since long time ago as well as in the whole world, according to the statistics by International diabetes federation, Egypt has around 8 million diabetics in 2017, with the number expected to rise in the upcoming years. There are different types of Diabetes, Type 2 is the most common type, it affects mainly middle to older ages, moreover it affects adolescents. It is tied to many genetic, lifestyle factors specially obesity and lack of exercise that lead to consumption of the body’s insulin storage and/or insulin resistance. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease; the body’s immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that produces insulin which leads to a shortage of insulin in the body and usually happens at young age. Gestational diabetes is when pregnant women experience rise in the blood glucose, usually around weeks 24-28 of pregnancy which requires a close follow-up and treatment. It usually resolves after delivery with some exceptions. We should be aware that we need to check for diabetes if certain risk factors apply like obesity, smoking, high cholesterol, hypertension, and having family history. Early symptoms of Diabetes include, easy fatigue, increased thirst, dry mouth, frequent urination, delayed healing of wounds, unintentional weight loss and increased frequency of various infections. Diabetes affects almost all organs such as the eyes, heart, kidneys, foot, teeth, blood vessels and nerves making it clear a dangerous disease if not controlled and well managed, also a general assessment is required periodically in order to detect complications early. Management of diabetes is tailored for every patient, including following a proper diet plan, suitable exercise routines and safe drugs along a holistic approach to detect Diabetes complications early (if any) therefore avoiding deterioration.