Diabetes

Diabetes is a condition where your body struggles to or fails to manage glucose levels in your bloodstream. There are 2 major types and a number of subtypes. Insulin is often used to treat diabetes, along with a host of other medications that modify how insulin is produced, released or how glucose and glycogen are managed. GLP-1 medication is a new management method that is effective for many people with permanent diabetes, but isn’t right for everyone.

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Diabetes Types

Diabetes is a medical condition where your body struggles to correctly balance the blood sugar level.

There are a 2 major types of diabetes, and several other types:

  • Major:
    • Type 1
      • A condition where a lifelong autoimmune condition leads to your body attacking the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. This stops your pancreas from being able to make and release insulin, which leads to sugar building up in your bloodstream and not being available for your cells to use to convert to energy (ATP).
      • To treat this, insulin is added medicinally on a regular basis throughout each day.
    • Type 2
      • Your body has become resistant to insulin or does not produce enough insulin through a number of mechanisms, causing a the same build up of sugar in your bloodstream as described above.
      • To treat this:
        • Healthy eating,
        • Regular exercise,
        • Weight maintenenace.
        • Generally medication:
          • Insulin medication, or
          • other diabetic medication to help your natural insulin operate correctly.
  • Other:
    • LADA:
      • LADA = Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults. This is sometimes referred to, erroneously, as Type 1.5 diabetes.
      • LADA is a slow-developing form of autoimmune diabetes (Type 1), which generally begins in adults over age 30. The body attacks its own insulin-making cells, but much slower than in childhood type 1 diabetes.
      • It is frequently misdiagnosed as type 2 diabetes at first.
      • Read more.
    • Monogenic diabetes – There are 2 types of MD:
      • MODY = Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young:
        • Some people develop diabetes due to a genetic mutation during their life. If they pass this on to their children (50% chance), then the child will have MODY, which should show symptoms prior to 25 years.
        • There exist a number of tests to confirm if your diabetes is MODY.
        • Treatment is often the same as Type 2, but can need other treatment option. Consult your endocrinologist.
        • Read more.
      • Neonatal Diabetes:
        • Neonatal Diabetes is where you were diagnosed with diabetes prior to 6 months, where it is not autoimmune,.
        • If Neonatal Diabetes resolves itself by 12 months, then it is called “Transient Neonatal Diabetes“, otherwise it is “Permanent Neonatal Diabetes“, or just “Neonatal Diabetes“.
        • Treatment varies, consult your endocrinologist.
        • Read more.
    • Type 3c Diabetes:
      • Type 3c develops secondarily due ton an illness or condition that damages the pancreas such that it cannot produce any or sufficient insulin to manage blood sugar.
      • Common causes for T3c:
        • Acute pancreatitis,
        • Chronic pancreatitis,
        • Pancreatic cancer,
        • Cystic fibrosis (CFRD), &
        • Haemochromatosis.
      • Treatment varies, consult your endocrinologist.
      • Read more.
    • Steroid-induced Diabetes:
      • Steroid-induced Diabetes is where steroid medications can cause diabetes, generally in people who were at heightened risk of T2 diabetes.
      • Treatment is generally to cease the steroid use. Most people’s symptoms cease shortly after, although it is possible to have ongoing problems eg ongoing steroid-induced hyperglycaemia. Consult your endocrinologist if symptoms persist.
      • Read more.
    • Immune-mediated Diabetes:
      • This is similar to Type 1 diabetes, however the cause is not autoimmune per se, it is a immunotherapy treatment for cancer or similar which has accidentally also targeted the pancreas akin to an autoimmune disorder.
      • Treatment is generally similar to T1.
      • Read more.
    • Pre-diabetes:
      • When blood sugar levels are higher than expected, your system is likely struggling to manage your blood sugar even if you have not yet developed medical diabetes. In this scenario, you are considered to be in pre-diabetes, where without change you will likely form diabetes.
      • Treatment is generally lifestyle change if another cause cannot be established.
      • Read more.
    • Gestational Diabetes:
      • Gestational Diabetes is diabetes that is detected in pregnancy. It usually ceases after the pregnancy is concluded. In some women, the diabetes may not disappear after birth.
      • Treatment is generally lifestyle changes and monitoring after the end of pregnancy in case GD becomes full diabetes.
      • Read more.

Glucose

Glucose is a simple carbohydrate, that is a molecule that is composed of only carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Glucose is a monosaccharide (mono lit ‘one’, saccharide lit ‘sugar’). Humans cannot make sugar, we must consume it. Once consumed, we may extreet, use or store it (glycogen aka fat).

Dietary glucose comes in several forms:

Approximately 4-7 grams of glucose need to be in your 6 Litres of blood for your BSL to read between 4 and 5.4 mmol/L (fasting non-diabetes safe range) or up to 7.8 mmol/L (2 hours after eating) [Source 1, Source 2].