Wasting and Thirsting

CORE DEFINITION

Diabetes mellitus (Latin: diabetes mellitus, abbreviated as DM, often referred to simply as diabetes) is a metabolic disease characterized by persistent hyperglycemia. The patient's pancreas cannot produce enough insulin, or the body's cells respond poorly to insulin, leading to symptoms collectively known as the "three polys and one reduction" — polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, and weight loss. Poorly controlled diabetes can lead to various complications such as cardiovascular disease, retinopathy, nephropathy, and peripheral neuropathy. It causes approximately 3.4 million deaths annually, of which about 1.6 million are directly attributable to poorly controlled diabetes. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes account for the vast majority of diabetes cases. Type 1 diabetes is often managed with insulin injections; type 2 diabetes can be improved through lifestyle modifications and the use of antidiabetic drugs such as biguanides. Some pregnant women develop gestational diabetes, and their blood glucose levels usually return to normal after delivery. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that often manifests at birth or in childhood. The immune system destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. In type 2 diabetes, the body's cells become resistant to insulin, making it difficult for glucose to be absorbed into cells, leading to its accumulation in the blood.