Diabetes »
What is diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases
characterized by high blood sugar (glucose) levels,
that
result from defects in insulin secretion, or action, or both. Diabetes mellitus,
commonly referred to as diabetes (as it will be in this article) was first
identified as a disease associated with "sweet urine," and excessive muscle loss
in the ancient world. Elevated levels of blood glucose (hyperglycemia) lead to spillage of glucose into the urine, hence the
term sweet urine.
Normally, blood glucose levels are tightly controlled by
insulin, a hormone produced by the
pancreas. Insulin lowers the blood glucose level. When the blood glucose
elevates (for example, after eating food), insulin is released from the pancreas
to normalize the glucose level. In patients with diabetes, the absence or
insufficient production of insulin causes hyperglycemia. Diabetes is a chronic
medical condition, meaning that alt...
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