Diabetes mellitus refers to a group of diseases that affect how your body uses blood sugar (glucose).

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Glucose is vital to your health because it's an important source of energy for the cells that make up your muscles and tissues. It's also your brain's main source of fuel. In diabetes there is excess sugar in your blood. Too much sugar in your blood can lead to serious health problems.

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An excellent resource for more information on diabetes can be found at www.diabetes.ca

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Symptoms:

Diabetes symptoms vary depending on how much your blood sugar is elevated. Some people, especially those with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, may not experience symptoms initially. In type 1 diabetes, symptoms tend to come on quickly and be more severe.

Some of the signs and symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes are:

• Increased thirst

• Frequent urination

• Extreme hunger

• Unexplained weight loss

• Presence of ketones in the urine (ketones are a byproduct of the breakdown of muscle and fat that happens when there's not enough available insulin)

• Fatigue

• Irritability

• Blurred vision

• Slow-healing sores

• Frequent infections, such as gums or skin infections and vaginal infections

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Type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, though it often appears during childhood or adolescence.

Type 2 diabetes, the more common type, can develop at any age, though it's more common in people older than 40.

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Causes of type 1 diabetes:

The exact cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown. It is speculated that your immune system (which normally fights harmful bacteria or viruses) attacks and destroys your insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. This leaves you with little or no insulin. Instead of being transported into your cells, sugar builds up in your bloodstream.

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Causes of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes:

In prediabetes — which can lead to type 2 diabetes — and in type 2 diabetes, your cells become resistant to the action of insulin, and your pancreas is unable to make enough insulin to overcome this resistance. Instead of moving into your cells where it's needed for energy, sugar builds up in your bloodstream. Being overweight is strongly linked to the development of type 2 diabetes, but not everyone with type 2 is overweight.

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Prevention (Lifestyle management):

Type 1 diabetes can't be prevented. However, the same healthy lifestyle choices that help treat prediabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes can also help prevent them:

• Eat healthy foods. 

  • Choose foods lower in fat and calories and higher in fiber. Focus on fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Strive for variety to prevent boredom.

• Physical activity. 

  • Aim for 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day. Take a brisk daily walk. Ride your bike. Swim laps. If you can't fit in a long workout, break it up into smaller sessions spread throughout the day.

• Weight loss

  • If you're overweight, losing even 7 percent of your body weight — for example, 14 pounds (6.4 kilograms) if you weigh 200 pounds (90.7 kilograms) — can reduce the risk of diabetes. Don't try to lose weight during pregnancy, however. Talk to your doctor about how much weight is healthy for you to gain during pregnancy.

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Treatment:

For type 1 diabetes only treatment is insulin therapy.

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For type 2 diabetes treatments include

• Oral hypoglycemic medications (biguanides, SGLT2 inhibitors, DPP4 inhibitors, sulfonylureas etc) 

• Injectables (GLP-1's) 

• Insulin (Basal/Bolus) 

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Complications:

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