Types of Diabetes

There are two common types spontaneous diabetes in human beings: Maturity-onset diabetes and Juvenile- onset diabetes.

Maturity-Onset Diabetes

Half of the diabetic cases are maturity onset diabetes. It is also known as Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM). It usually develops after the age of 40. Almost all patients, with this form of diabetes are obese. It has been hypothesized that, the individuals who develop maturity-onset diabetes, overeat.

Juvenile Diabetes

Less than ten per cent cases are juvenile onset diabetes. It is also known as Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM). Juvenile-onset diabetes develops before the age of 40. It is not associated with obesity and is often complicated by ketosis and acidosis (refer to symptoms of diabetes). It is an auto-immune disease and a significant number of patients treated with immuno-suppressive drugs early in the course of their disease have shown marked improvement. It has been hypothesized that juvenile-onset diabetes does not have a family history of diabetes, but is due to viral infection which leads to the destruction of ‘B’ cells of the islets of Langerhans by the Coxsackie Viruses.

Though heredity is one of the main reasons for diabetes it has been proved that it is not directly passed on to all the children, although the tendency to develop ii is high. So, in at least a quarter of the cases, there is a family history of some person having diabetes. In children, where either parents are diabetic or at least one of the parents is diabetic, the chances of getting it is high, compared to children with normal parents. This also includes children who are born of mothers already on insulin. It is not diabetes that is passed on to the next generation, but the lack of the gene that prevents ii. So it is the genetic make-up that promotes or prevents diabetes.

People who are obese are more prone to getting the disease, because overeating throws an excess strain on the pancreas, resulting in the abnormality of insulin receptors or reduction of insulin secretion. This is also due to a pancreatic disease called pancreatitis or hypo-secretion of somatostanin by the ‘D’ cells of the islets of Langerhans.

In some cases, diabetes has been diagnosed after a prolonged period of stress in their lives. It has been hypothesized that on the excessive secretion of adrenaline and cortisone-the stress hormones, there is an occurrence of diabetes.

Glandular disorders are also the cause of diabetes. If the growth hormone produced by the pituitary gland is overactive, there is a chance of the occurrence of diabetes. Diabetes has been diagnosed among those children who are overgrown compared to other children of their age. Thus, over-secretion of the growth hormone may be one of the reasons for diabetes. This is called Acetomegaly. Of course, one of the main reasons for the occurrence of diabetes is due to deficiency or excessive secretion of the various hormones of the islets of Langerhans, in the pancreas.

Therefore, diabetes like hypertension is a syndrome with multiple causes. However, in most of the human cases, the causes are not clear cut.