Medical Encyclopedia
Non-diabetic, non-pregnant individuals maintain blood glucose within a very narrow range – between 60-100 mg/dl (3.3-6.4 mmol/L) in a morning fasting state.
After eating, a "normal" blood sugar reading is considered up to 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L) 2 hours after eating.
High blood sugar, also called hyperglycemia may be a symptom of diabetes, and low blood sugar may be indicative of hypoglycemia.
Diabetes Mellitus
Definition of diabetes mellitus:
Diabetes: The term "diabetes" refers to frequent urination, or polyuria. There are two disorders in which the term diabetes is used: diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus. When the therm "diabetes" is used alone, it refers to diabetes mellitus.
Mellitus is a word from the latin word for honey or sweet.
Generally, diabetes mellitus is divided into two major groups of patients: those with type 1 diabetes and those with type 2 diabetes. A third distinction is made for gestational diabetes. There is also considerable debate as to whether another form of diabetes mellitus called Latent Autoimmunde Diabetes in Adults (LADA) sometimes called type 1-1/2 or slow onset diabetes, should be classified as a form of type 1 or all by itself.
Pre-diabetes is a term used to describe a patient when they are at risk for developing full onset of type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes may often be referred to as insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome (Syndrome X), or as having impaired glucose tolerance.
There is more than one form of type 1 diabetes and each can develop for different reasons. Type 1 diabetes can result from hereditary deficiencies in the beta cells of the pancreas (maturity onset diabetes of the young, or MODY), damage to the pancreas from trauma or drugs, another illness like hemochromatosis (iron overload) or cystic fibrosis that damages the pancreas, or will result when the pancreas is surgically removed.
The most commonly diagnosed form of type 1 diabetes is juvenile diabetes, or, insulin-dependent diabetes. People with juvenile type 1 diabetes have an inherited genetic predisposition towards developing diabetes (the genes are different for type 1 and type 2 but both have a genetic aspect involved). Many people have these genes but will never develop the disease. For those that do become diabetic, something triggers the body to attack and destroy the insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas.
All persons with the juvenile form of type 1 diabetes need to take insulin to live.
Who gets diabetes? Genetic transmission rates for type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Diagnosing prediabetes
2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)
Confused? See our Chart Comparison between Insulin Resistance, Insulin Resistance Syndrome (IRS), Prediabetes, Types 1 and 2 Diabetes, and Gestational Diabetes detailing the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of these major metabolic disorders