Diabetes mellitus has been studied for a long time. Approximately 3000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians established the term “too great emptying of urine” to describe diabetes mellitus by the way the urine attracted ants by its sweetness.Not until 81-133AD, Araetus of Cappadocia, one of the greatest medical scholars of Greco-Roman antiquity, published the term “diabetes”.
According to his study, Araetus claimed that “life (with diabetes) is short, disgusting and painful” because “no essential part of the drink is absorbed by the body while great masses of the flesh are liquefied into urine”.
- Later, in 1675, Thomas Willis, a neuroanatomist and physician in the 17th century, published the term “Mellitus” as he rediscovered his patients’ sweet urine and blood.
- A year later, Matthew Dobson, a clinical investigator of diabetes mellitus, confirmed the presence of excess sugar in the urine and blood.
- In 1857, Claude Bernard, a French scientist that discovered the function of glycogen in the liver and emphasized that diabetes is caused by excess glucose production.
- In 1936, Sir Harold Percival Himsworth published a research study that stated the difference between diabetes type 1, in which the patient is insulin deficient, and type 2, in which the patient is insulin resistant.
- In 1955, the orally administrated hypoglycemic prescription was successful and officially applied.
Cause of diabetes mellitus
There are 2 types of diabetes mellitus, which are type 1 and type 2, and each type has its unique causes. Diabetes mellitus type 1 is an autoimmune condition in which the antibodies attack and destroy the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas so that the body does not obtain enough insulin to function properly. Diabetes mellitus type 2 is known as insulin resistance. It occurs when your pancreas can’t produce enough insulin that the body needs and the excess glucose builds up in your bloodstream and excretes in the urine.
Signs and symptoms of the disease
The symptoms depend on the blood glucose level and the type of diabetes. Some signs and symptoms are common in two types such as increased thirst, frequent urination, extreme hunger, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, blurred vision, slow-healing sores, and frequent infections such as gums and skin infections.
Diagnosis of the disease
There are three types of glycated hemoglobin tests including fasting glucose test, random glucose test, and A1c test. Before the fasting glucose test, the patient has to avoid eating or drinking for at least 8 hours. If the result is 126 or higher, the patient is diagnosed with diabetes. On the other hand, the random glucose test can be taken at any time. If the result is 200 or higher, the patient is diagnosed with diabetes. Lastly, the A1c test is also known as glycated hemoglobin test, indicating diabetes if the result is equal or higher than 6.5%.
Treatment of the disease
Even though there is no cure for diabetes, diabetes can be controlled by drugs and lifestyle adjustments in diet and exercise. Diabetes drugs are prescribed according to the type of diabetes mellitus. A patient who has type 1 diabetes can be recommended to use 1 out of 5 types of insulin injection, such as rapid-acting, regular or short-acting, intermediate-acting, long-acting, and ultra-long-acting depend on their glucose level. Type 2 diabetes patients can use drugs to bring their blood glucose levels back to normal such as Chlorpropamide to increase insulin production by the pancreas and Acarbose to decrease sugar absorption. Besides, diabetes patients are believed to maintain a balanced diet plan, which mainly restricts high carbohydrates intake. In addition, moderate exercise is recommended to lower the risk of developing another disease such as heart attack or stroke.
Prognosis of someone with the disease
Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong disease. The blood glucose level in type 1 diabetes patients changes quickly and it is essential to monitor and maintain a good blood sugar level. Some patients might need to do a kidney; pancreas or islet transplantation to increase the production of insulin. Type 2 diabetes is more common and the prognosis is dependent on the individual health status. As an individual, one increase in insulin resistance so that most people mainly rely on medicines to control their blood sugar in a stable range. The patient might suffer from several life-threatening complications such as heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.
Research by: Tran Nguyen
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