The occurrence of diabetes in any type is due to the fact that glucose is not fully or partially absorbed in the human body, which requires many unpleasant and sometimes irreversible consequences. Under normal circumstances, the pancreas (PZH) automatically releases the hormone insulin into the bloodstream as soon as glucose appears in the blood, and the body’s cells use it to "absorb" sugar. In diabetics, this process is disrupted for a variety of reasons.
Type 1 diabetes
Typically, type 1 diabetes occurs in early childhood and adolescence. The pancreas stops producing insulin because the "Langerhans Island" beta cells in which it is produced, completely or partially die. Sometimes clinical type 1 diabetes begins after a severe viral infection, according to scientists, the fault of the immune system should be blamed for this "failure".
Some harmful viruses have a structure very similar to pancreatic beta cells, and the immune system destroys them along with foreign viruses. It is impossible to restore insulin-producing cells, so for diabetics, the only way to increase metabolism is lifelong control of blood sugar levels and timely administration of insulin.
type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes usually develops in adulthood and old age. Often, its occurrence is associated with obesity, although sometimes it also occurs with hereditary predisposition, as well as after taking certain medications. Type 2 diabetes may develop on the background of chronic diseases of the pancreas or during pregnancy. Although the pancreas of such patients produces sufficient insulin, it is slower than necessary. Therefore, the cells do not have time to use up all the glucose, and its levels increase.
The second reason for glycemia in type 2 diabetes is a decrease in tissue sensitivity to the hormone insulin. Doctors call this disorder "insulin resistance. " In short, they lack their normal volume, which is associated primarily with obesity.
Diabetes during pregnancy
One type of type 2 diabetes is gestational diabetes, or gestational diabetes. The pancreas of a pregnant woman produces a normal amount of insulin, but the sensitivity of the tissue to it decreases due to the presence of "pregnancy hormones" in the blood. It usually occurs at 20-24 weeks and continues until delivery, after which the metabolism improves on its own. However, sometimes, under the guise of gestational diabetes, DM 1 begins, and it also happens that on the background of pregnancy, DM 2 appears, the presence of which the woman does not suspect.