Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder caused by the lack of the hormone insulin being produced in the pancreas, or the deficiency of the pancreas to produce enough insulin, which means the diabetes mellitus pathophysiology of the two types, very similar.Insulin is needed to process fats, protein and carbohydrates. This hormone reduces blood sugar levels by allowing the glucose to enter muscle and stimulates glucose into glycogen, as a carbohydrate store. The body’s resistance to insulin, even before the onset of full blown diabetes, can lead to fatty buildups in the arteries and diseases in the blood vessels.
In diabetes mellitus type 1, due to a autoimmune disease the pancreas no longer produces insulin, as the insulin producing cells have been made dysfunctional. This type of diabetes is insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.
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Diabetes mellitus type 2 is a heterogeneous disorder, where the body has become insulin resistant, and the insulin producing cells still work, but the body’s cells no longer use insulin properly. This is known as non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.
Symptoms of both types of diabetes mellitus include polydipsia and polyuria. We are going to take a closer look at the diabetes mellitus pathophysiology of these two symptoms.
Polydipsia means that the individual will feel more thirsty, due to the increase in glucose concentration, which in turn tells the brain to dilute the concentrated glucose.
Polyuria is the increase in urine production caused by excess glucose. The body will try to get rid of the glucose through urination. This can lead to dehydration, as excreting this sugar also means a lot of water will be lost out the body.
