Insulin is one of the important human hormones to regulate blood sugar levels. Glucose metabolism is the energy source of human body in daily living. The lack of insulin may induce blood and urine sugar surges, resulting in diabetes. Subjects whose fasting blood sugar level is 126 mg/dl or higher on two separate tests, or the postprandial blood sugar level two hours after meal is more than 200mg/dl, accompanying with typical diabetic symptoms such as increased hunger, urination, thirst, tiresome, blurred vision, and short-term weight loss or hard-to-heal wounds, are determined as patients with diabetes mellitus (DM).
There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2 DM. Patients with Type 1 DM are characterized by loss of or insufficient insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreatic islets. Therefore, daily insulin injections are required. This type of DM is frequently seen in children and the population under 30 years old. As to Type 2 DM, it is mostly known as adult DM, which frequently occurs in adult patients aged 55 years or above. The classic symptoms include polyphagia (increased hunger), polydipsia (increased thirst) and polyuria (increased urination). 95% of patients are Type 2 DM. Pregnant women may have gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), which frequently occurs during the 2nd and 3rd trimester. A poorly controlled GDM may lead to premature infant, giant baby, or other neonate issues. Normally, the blood sugar levels of the women return to normal range after delivery; however, these women still have approximately 50% of chance to develop Type 2 DM in the future.
Long-term untreated and uncontrolled DM will lead to multiple chronic complications such as oculopathy (retinopathy, cataract, etc.), vasculopathy (vascular sclerosis, myocardial infarction), retinopathy (proteinuria, edema, etc.), neuropathy (increased risks of injury due to thermohyperesthesia) and systemic infection (poor skin resistance which easily cause local infections). In addition to taking medicines by complying with the physician’s instructions, patients with DM should also keep regular dieting habits with regular amounts in daily living, avoid fried food and sugary beverages, consume a large amount of high-fiber vegetables and maintain proper exercise habits, which are all helpful to control blood sugar levels.
