Pancreas, insulin and blood glucose
The pancreas contains the beta cells which secrete an important anabolic hormone called insulin responsible for the regulation of blood glucose levels. It helps to lower blood glucose levels by stimulating the absorption of blood glucose into the liver, skeletal muscles, and fat tissues.
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by an elevation of blood glucose due to a relative or absolute deficiency of insulin. If left untreated, it can cause a host of serious health complications including heart attack, stroke, vision loss, nerve damage, kidney failure, amputation etc. Poorly controlled diabetes can increase the risk of labor complications and fetal death. Being overweight or obese is strongly linked to the disease.
Worldwide disease burden
The global diabetes prevalence has nearly doubled in the past decades rising from 4.7% of adult population in 1980 to 8.5% in 2014. The disease burden has risen faster in lower and middle- income nations compared to high-income nations.
Different types of diabetes
Despite being a chronic disorder, diabetes can be properly managed via a combination of approaches encompassing proper diet, active lifestyle and if necessarily, medication.
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References:
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Diabetes UK https://www.diabetes.org.uk
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WHO (2016) Global Report on Diabetes
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Karen Walen. (2014). Lippincott Illustrated Review: 6th edition; Lippincott Williams and Wilkins: Philadelphia.
Image credit:
1. https://www.eatright.org/-/media/eatrightimages/health/diseasesandconditions/diabetes/understandingdiabetes-629100064.jpg
