Information on Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus is a collective term for various disorders of the carbohydrate metabolism. Main findings are elevated blood sugar levels.
Type-1 diabetes: In the course of this disease the endogenous immune system in the context of an inflammatory response (probably occurred during infancy) is destroying the insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas, gradually developing an increasing lack of insulin. Cause of type 2 diabetes may be about 20 different genetic modifications and numerous environmental factors.
Type-2 diabetes: This is a disorder where the existing insulin cannot interact where necessary, i.e., at the cell membranes (insulin resistance). Many diabetics having type 2 diabetes for years only perceive unspecific symptoms as fatigue, lack of strength, increased thirst, gain in weight, depressive mood which may lead to a for years delayed diagnosis. One of its main causes is adiposity.
Therapy: Many patients having type 2 diabetes could do without drugs if they had more physical exercise and lost weight. Physical exercise makes the body cells regain their capacity to absorb insulin and the endogenous insulin is becoming effective again. Only when these measures are exhausted one should begin a medicinal therapy.
Prevalence and economic impact: According to the WHO there were 8 million diabetics in Germany in 2006, until 2010 this figure is supposed to increase to at least 10 million. The German compulsory health insurances already spend 20% of their expenditures on the treatment of diabetes and secondary diseases. A considerable percentage of these secondary diseases, as e.g., hypertension, myocardial infarction, diseases of the eyes and kidneys, amputation (due to impaired blood circulation and poor wound healing) and the resulting health care expenditure could be avoided by early diagnoses and prevention of type 2 diabetes.
A KORA-S4-Study was able to prove that 8% of randomly selected and examined persons aged between 55-75 years had undiagnosed diabetes. Like diabetics they were suffering similarly often from hypertension and disorder of the metabolism and hence had a similarly high risk of heart attack and stroke.