Diabetes mellitus is a disease that occurs when the body is not able to use sugar. The body needs sugar for growth and energy for daily activities. It gets sugar when it changes food into glucose (a form of sugar). A hormone called insulin is needed for the glucose to be taken up and used by the body for energy.

In a non-diabetic person insulin is secreted in response to increases in blood glucose levels. When the blood glucose increases, insulin is producing lower blood glucose. So the body keeps the blood glucose at normal levels. Many people with diabetes do not produce enough insulin and must take it by injection. Because insulin is a protein it would be digested if taken orally.

When a person is diagnosed with diabetes, which means the body cannot make use of the glucose in the blood for energy because either the pancreas is not able to make enough insulin or the insulin that is available is not effective. The beta cell

In noninsulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM), the pancreas makes some insulin, sometimes too much. The insulin, however, is not effective. NIDDM is controlled by diet and exercise. Sometimes oral drugs that lower blood glucose levels or insulin injections are needed. This type of diabetes usually develops gradually, most often in people over 40 years of age. NIDDM accounts for 90 to 95 percent of diabetes.

In conclusions, I think that having diabetes is a very serious disease that our own flesh and blood have to face everyday. I have some relatives who are diabetic. My grandfather once told me " being diabetic isn't fun at all because you have to inject insulin into your body everyday". Every time I visit him, he looks thinner and thinner. I think it's because of his diet. He can't just pick out something from the refrigerator and eat it, but has to watch what he eats. Because of his diabetes, he can't enjoy life as much as he use too. For that reason his loosing interested in everything. I know it's hard for him sometimes but as a grandchild, I have to encourage him to keep perusing his dreams and to be thankful that his family is standing right beside him.

In insulin-dependent diabetes, if the level of insulin is too low for a long period of time, the body begins to break down its stores of fat for energy. This causes the body to release acids (ketones) into the blood. The result is called ketoacidosis, a severe condition that may put a person into a coma if not treated right away.

s in areas of the pancreas usually make insulin.

The causes of diabetes are not known. Scientists think that insulin- dependent diabetes may be more than one disease and may have many causes. They are looking at hereditary (

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