DIABETES MELLITUS

DEDICATION: I DEDICATE THE FOLLOWING LINES IN THE MEMORY OF MY PARENTS WHO EXPIRED IN 2009 SUFFERING FROM DIABETES AND ASSOCIATED DISEASES FOR A LONG PERIOD.

Many or most of us know that today is CHILDREN’S DAY. We celebrate it, makes different program for children. But very few of us know that today is DIABETES DAY also.

It is a very dangerous disease which slowly invites many other diseases. It is the inability of one’s body to store extra sugar and thus it is found in blood. It takes time to heal any wounds. Hypoglycemia (hypoglycæmia) is the medical term for a state produced by a lower than normal level of blood glucose (when the glucose falls below 55 mg/dL (3 mmol/L)). Effects can range from vaguely "feeling bad" to seizures, unconsciousness, and (rarely) permanent brain damage or death. When gone unnoticed, it affects eyes (Diabetic Retinopathy), Kidneys (Diabetic Nephropathy) and cardiovascular diseases which leads to a very chronic situation including lose of vision and kidney failure.

There are THREE main types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes: results from the body's failure to produce insulin, and presently requires the person to inject insulin. (Also referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, IDDM for short, and juvenile diabetes.)

Type 2 diabetes: results from insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, sometimes combined with an absolute insulin deficiency.

Gestational diabetes: is when pregnant women, who have never had diabetes before, have a high blood glucose level during pregnancy. It may precede development of type 2 DM.

As of 2000 at least 171 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes, or 2.8% of the population. Type-2 diabetes is by far the most common, affecting 90 to 95% of the U.S. diabetes population.

Adequate treatment of diabetes is thus important, as well as blood pressure control and lifestyle factors such as smoking cessation and maintaining a healthy body weight.

On this day, I pray to the ALLMIGHTY ALLAH to heal those who are suffering from diabetes and once again make me determined to fight against this DEADLY DISEASE to the best of my ability.