Scientists like to classify diabetes mellitus according to where things go wrong in the insulin cycle. When I say insulin cycle, I mean the movement of insulin from the sight of production, the pancreas, to the final point (the tissue). Broadly speaking, there are two types of diabetes mellitus. Type 1 diabetes mellitus and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Type 1 diabetes mellitus most times begins at childhood age, for that reason, it is called juvenile diabetes. There are also other names associated with it such as childhood– onset diabetes and insulin dependent diabetes (IDDM).
it is the type of diabetes in which the body is unable to produce inadequate insulin. Insulin is a hormone which makes it possible for your body tissues to absorb blood sugar. This inability occurs when the beta cell (which is found in the pancreas become defected or destroyed. This destruction is caused by an auto immune attack. This attack is mediated by a type of cell called thymus cell (or T-cell). Auto immune attack is an immune response of an organism against its own cells and tissues. This happens when it (the organism) is unable to recognize its own constituent part as self.
Type 1 diabetes mellitus has a genetic predisposition to it. This means that the likelihood of every body to have type 1 diabetes mellitus is in the gene. It is believed to be triggered by environmental factors such as certain drugs and virus infection.
Type 1 diabetes mellitus has no known cure. It is treated with the injection of insulin into the patients’ body. There are also non insulin treatment such as monoclonal anti bodies and stem cell. Type 2 diabetes mellitus, on the other hand, often begins at adult age thus it is also called adult onset diabetes. It also has other names associated with it such as obesity related diabetes and non - insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM).
It (type 2 diabetes mellitus) is the type of diabetes in which the body tissues are insensitive or resistant to insulin. This leads to an abnormally high concentration of glucose in the blood. In medical terms, it is called hyperglycemia.
This insulin resistance and insensitivity in type 2 diabetes mellitus is caused by several factors such as aging, family history and obesity, especially central obesity. Central obesity is the concentration of non subcutaneous fat around the waist.
There is increasing evidence that some environmental factor such as pisphenol (a gas) in the air can trigger the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Pisphenol is a constituent of polycarbonate plastic.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is treated by increasing physical activity i.e. exercising more frequently, reducing the intake of fat and loosing weight.
It can also be treated with drugs known as anti diabetic drugs for example, sulfonylurea which regulates inappropriate release of glucose by the liver and attenuate insulin resistance And thiazolidine which substantially attenuate insulin resistance.
There are also other types of diabetes mellitus which cannot be sharply classified as type 1 or 2 example type 1.5 diabetes mellitus which is also referred to as insulin resistant type 1 diabetes mellitus and gestational diabetes mellitus which occurs during pregnancy. This type is totally treatable and goes away after delivery.
