DIABETES MELLITUS

Causes of Diabetes

Nowadays diabetes does not make any distinction between the rich and the poor. It strikes women as well as men, old as well as young, villagers as well as urbanites.

All the causes of diabetes have still not been discovered. But he known factors have been discussed below:

Heredity: Heredity is a main cause of diabetes. Studies show that more than 46% of the total diabetics have a family history of diabetes. In situation when both parents have type-1 diabetes, fewer than 20% of their children will receive type-1 diabetes. If both parents have type-2 diabetes, there is a chance that nearly all of their children will have this disease. In identical twins, if one twin develops type-2 diabetes, the chance is nearly 100% that the other twin will also develop it. In Type 1 diabetes, however, only 40-50% of the second twins will develop the disease, indicating that while inheritance is important, environmental factors (for instance, viral infection, too much stress, too much food etc.) are also involved in the development of Type 1 diabetes. However, detailed surveys and have proved the fallacy of the belief. It is often seen that children of diabetic parents are healthy in every respect. In identical twins one child may have the disease and the other may remain free from diabetes. Such diabetics are also seen who have no family history of the disease.

Side-effects of certain drugs: Drugs such as steroids, Dilantin, and others may elevate the blood sugar through a variety of mechanisms. Long-term use of certain drugs like cortisone (used for asthma, respiratory diseases, arthritis and skin-diseases), contraceptive pills, streptozocin, alloxan, and thiazide diuretics, which toxic to the beta cells of the pancreas, can cause diabetes. Certain syndromes (for example, Progeria, Prader-Willi, Turner's, and Down's) may result in a hyperglycemic state; if this state is prolonged, the result can be permanent diabetes.

Obesity: Studies show that obesity has been shown to predispose to diabetes. Persons with excessive body weight become easy victims to diabetes. Some studies have shown that 60-80 per cent of diabetics have excessive body weight.

High-fat diet and High alcohol intake: Food can maintain or save life, but it can also destroy it. Improper food can work as a poison and can cause different diseases.

Incorrect dietary habits: Food can maintain or save life, but it can destroy life as well. Proper food serves the purpose of medicine while improper food works as poison and causes disease.

Effects of certain hormones: Some hormones produced in the body have an opposite action to the action of insulin, so they increase the amount of sugar in the blood. Such hormones include cortisone, glucagon, adrenaline, growth hormone and thyroxine. If the secretion of these hormones is excessive, the effectiveness of efficiency of insulin decreases and blood glucose level rises.

Inadequate physical work: Because of the industrialization, man has drifted away from physical labour. Sedentary life, too, plays a very important role in the origin of this disease. During physical work, muscles use up a lot of glucose present in the blood. Consequently, the work-load on the pancreas is reduced. Furthermore, physical labour also reduces or prevents obesity, which is one of important causes of diabetes.

Viral infection: Some children have been seen to receive the disease after suffering from mumps, a viral infection. The viruses destroy the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. In addition, the antibodies produced by the body to fight the virus also attack the beta cells and aggravate diabetes.

Other illnesses: Acute pancreatitis, a heart attack or some other illnesses may precipitate diabetes. This is more applicable to persons who are carriers of diabetes or who have a family-history of diabetes. In such persons, an acute illness may unmask latent diabetes.

Psychological factors: Acute emotional upset, shock or mental stress may unmask latent diabetes.

Early diagnosis of Diabetes