Diabetes represents a group of metabolic disorders all possessing the common feature of defective maintenance of blood glucose concentration. There exist two major forms of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. In the body of a patient with Type 2 diabetes, cells do not use insulin properly; this is also medically referred to as insulin resistance. Because of this, glucose is not taken into the cells and remains in the blood due to which its concentration in blood rises. The high level may cause severe and long-term complications in different organs and systems.
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 accounts for around 5% of the total and, clinically speaking, is usually thought to be the graver of the two. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease characterized by an immune response of the host immune system as though the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas were a foreign agent, leading to their destruction. Among the list of risk conditions leading to the onset of Type 1 is genetic susceptibility. In recent times, however, it is especially environmental triggers that researchers have been emphasizing. Certain viral infections, toxic exposure, or intake of certain particular drugs act as triggering factors for the initiation of this auto-immune response and cause the onset of disease even in the presence of genetic susceptibility.
Since there is still no obvious cure yet for Type 1 diabetes, insulin therapy is still necessary for the lifetime of a person due to dependence on exogenous sources of insulin. To this end, research should be continually done in devising better interventions for the treatment and management of diabetes.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a form of insulin-resistant diabetes in which the body’s cells actually become resistant to insulin. It is also associated with a number of risk factors like age, sedentary lifestyle, and obesity. Because metabolic rate slows down with age, afterwards a person is more likely to gain additional weight and become less active, hence the increased occurrence of Type 2 diabetes. This has often made Type 2 diabetes be referred to as a “lifestyle disease.”.
Research supports this, as it further indicates that genetics also play an important role in the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. A person with a family medical history of diabetes-especially having a parent or sibling with diabetes-will be much more vulnerable to its attack. If these genetic factors are combined with lifestyle concerns such as sedentary conditions and poor dietary habits, a synergistic effect can take place in which a larger potential for susceptibility to the development of Type 2 diabetes occurs.
Genetic Risk Factors
So too do certain populations who have a strong Indigenous ancestry also have higher rates of prevalence. The actual mechanisms for this predisposition are not well understood, but some have suggested that ancestral adaptations to times of famine may have resulted in mechanisms of fat storage that become maladaptive in modern environments where food is plentiful.
Other Contributing Factors
These variant conditions can be a predisposition toward diabetes. Anyone who has a history of blood circulation problems in the form of heart attacks, strokes, or blood pressure is, therefore likely to expose themselves to a greater risk of developing diabetes. A regular checkup and observance of all precautionary measures to ensure there is no cardiovascular harm is thus very important, in an endeavor to keep the risk as low as possible.
Pregnancy can also result in a temporary type of diabetes called gestational diabetes. People with the condition who have given birth to babies larger than usual are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes later in their lifetime. Women whose medical history includes the condition of gestational diabetes should consider screening for diabetes periodically throughout one’s life.
Risk Factors that can be Modified
Some of the risk factors said to be modifiable since they are in control of an individual in developing diabetes. The strongest predisposing factor to diabetes is the medical history of diabetes whereby close relatives having been diagnosed with this condition create a rise in risk. History of either gestational diabetes or delivery of a baby weighing more than nine pounds enhances the risk in later life, specifically Type 2 diabetes.
Finally, awareness about causes and risk factors is quintessential in terms of prevention and management. When one becomes informed about their genetic predispositions in addition to poor life decisions, a person can try living healthier and decrease the chances of developing diabetes. Regular medical check-ups, good nutrition, and exercise are amongst the few building blocks towards decreasing the chances a person has of contracting diabetes and make for a healthy life in general.
