Diabetes mellitus, or diabetes, is a metabolic disease that leads to high blood sugar levels. For patients with diabetes, the production of insulin, the hormone that breaks down sugar from food to be transported into the blood for energy, becomes impaired.
As a result, diabetic patients may not be able to produce enough insulin or are unable to effectively use the insulin produced by the body, resulting in an increase in blood sugar levels.
There are two different types of diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes – which is usually a hereditary condition
Type 2 diabetes – which is typically an onset condition due to external factors such as lifestyle
Read on to find out more about the different types of diabetes and the possible repercussions if diabetes were left untreated.
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Type 1 Diabetes
Patients with Type 1 Diabetes may experience an autoimmune response in which the immune system attacks your healthy body cells mistakenly.
The pancreas which produces insulin is damaged, impairing its ability to produce insulin. As such, glucose in the blood is not broken down and accumulates in the blood.
Type 1 Diabetes is often genetic or caused by environmental factors such as exposure to certain viruses. You have an increased risk of having Type 1 Diabetes if you have a first-degree relative, e.g. parents or siblings with Type 1 Diabetes.
Type 2 Diabetes, or adult-onset diabetes, occurs when your body does not use the insulin produced efficiently. Your body resists the effects of insulin. Initially, your pancreas produces additional insulin to compensate for it.
However, over time, it cannot keep up with producing enough insulin to maintain your blood glucose levels.
Type 2 Diabetes may be caused by environmental factors such as a sedentary lifestyle, being overweight or obese, and eating large quantities of processed, unhealthy food. This means that type 2 diabetes can be effectively controlled with a conscious effort to change both your lifestyle and diet.
Metabolic syndrome is a severe health condition. It is made up of a group of five conditions: increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol or triglyceride levels, and excess abdominal fat.
While having just one of these conditions does not mean that you have metabolic syndrome, having any of these conditions may increase your risk of developing severe health problems if left untreated.
Experiencing more than one of these conditions may further increase the risk of developing long term health issues.
As a strong proponent of treating the patient holistically instead of just their condition, Dr Ganesh Ramalingam advises patients as to how they can manage their daily habits and diets to lead healthier lifestyles. As a consultant with G&L Surgical Clinic specialising in General Surgery, he sees many patients with conditions related to the stomach and is skilled in bariatric surgery, upper GI and hernia surgery, advanced laparoscopic surgery, endoscopies, and trauma.
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