WRITING
CAUSES OF DIABETES
UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSE OF DIABETES
10/24/2020
ABSTRACT Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar levels. It affects millions of individuals worldwide and poses a significant public health concern. This abstract explores the complex cause of diabetes shedding light on both genetic and environmental factors that contribute to its development. Genetic predisposition plays a crucial role in the onset of diabetes. Certain gene variants increase the risk of developing type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Additionally, family history and ethnicity have been identified as important risk factors. However genetics alone cannot fully explain the rising prevalence of diabetes, suggesting the influence of environmental factors. Obesity and sedentary lifestyle are major contributors of type 2 diabetes. Physical inactivity has led to an alarming increase in the incidence of this form of diabetes. In conclusion, diabetes is a multifactorial disease influenced by genetic and environmental factors. A comprehensive understanding of its cause is essential for developing effective prevention and management strategies.

UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSES OF DIABETES

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose. Hyper glycaemia, also called raised blood glucose or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and overtime leads to serious damages of the many of the body’s systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels . The main cause of diabetes varies by type. But no matter what type of diabetes you have, it can lead to excess sugar in the blood. Too much sugar in the blood can lead to serious health problems.

Before dwelling on the causes of diabetes it is good to go through different types as it form the basis of the discussion. There are a number of types of diabetes including;

Type 1 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes

Gestational diabetes

Maturity onset diabetes of the young

Neonatal diabetes

Wolfram syndrome

Alstom syndrome

Latent Autoimmune diabetes in adults

These are the different types of diabetes that has been provided by research scientist in the aim of ensuring better diagnosis and treatments. I am going to discuss all these types of diabetes in detailed and give clear information on their causes. Before all these types of diabetes there is prediabetes which is when your blood sugar is higher than it should be but not high enough for your doctor to diagnose diabetes. According to research more than a third people in the United States have it, but most of them lack the awareness of it. This is more likely to be the cause of type 2 diabetes and even heart disease

TYPE 1 DIABETES

This is where your blood sugar level is too high because your body cannot make a hormone called insulin. This happens because your body attacks the cells in your pancreas that make the insulin, meaning you cannot produce at all. Your genes might cause this type of diabetes. It could also happen because of problems with cells in your pancreas that makes insulin. The exact cause of type 1 diabetes is not known but it is believed to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

TYPE 2 DIABETES

This is the most common form of diabetes and is caused by several factors including lifestyle factors and genes. It is a condition that happens because of a problem in the way the body regulates and uses sugar as a fuel. That sugar also is called glucose. This long term condition results in too much sugar circulating in the blood. Eventually high blood sugar levels can lead to disorders of the circulatory, nervous and immune systems. In this type of diabetes, there are primarily two problems. The pancreas does not produce enough insulin and cells respond poorly to insulin and take in less sugar. There are main causes of this type of diabetes including;

Overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity

You are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you are not physically active and are overweight or have obesity. Extra weight sometimes causes insulin resistance and is common in people with type 2 diabetes. The location of body fats also makes a difference. Extra belly fat is linked to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and heart and blood vessel disease. To see if your weight puts you at risk for type 2 diabetes, it is advisable to check out the Body Mass Index charts.

Insulin resistance

Type 2 diabetes usually begins with insulin resistance, a condition in which muscle, liver, and fat cells do not use insulin well. At first, the pancreas makes more insulin to keep with the added demand. Overtime, the pancreas cannot make enough insulin, and blood glucose levels rise.

Genes and family history

As in type 1 diabetes, certain genes may make one more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. The diabetes tends to run in families and occurs more often in these racial/ethnic groups such as;

African Americans

Alaska Natives

American Indians

Asian Americans

Hispanics/Latimos

Pacific Islanders

Native Hawaiins

Genes also can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by increasing a person’s tendency to become overweight or have obesity.

GESTATIONAL DIABETES

This is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy, is caused by the hormonal changes of pregnancy along with genetic and lifestyle factors.

Insulin resistance

Hormones produced by the placenta contribute to insulin resistance, which occurs in all women during late pregnancy. Most pregnant women can produce enough insulin to overcome insulin resistance but some cannot. Gestational diabetes occurs when the pancreas cannot make enough insulin.

Genetic and family history

Having a family history of diabetes makes it more likely that a woman will develop gestational diabetes, which suggests that genes play a role.

OTHER CAUSES OF GENERAL DIABETES

Apart from the discussed main types of diabetes and their causes there are other causes of diabetes which enshrines all the possible types of diabetes.

Genetic mutations

Monogenic diabetes is caused by mutations, or, changes, in a single gene. These changes are usually passed through families, but sometimes the gene mutation happens on its own. Most of these gene mutations cause diabetes by making the pancreas less able to make insulin. The most common types of monogenic diabetes are neonatal diabetes and maturity-onset diabetes of the young. Neonatal diabetes occurs in the first six months of life.

Cystic fibrosis produces thick mucus that causes scarring in the pancreas. This scarring can prevent the pancreas from making enough insulin

Hemochromatosis causes the body to store too much iron. If the diseases are not treated iron can build up in and damage the pancreas and other organs.

Hormonal diseases

Some hormonal diseases causes the body to produce too much of certain hormones, which sometimes cause insulin resistance and diabetes.

Damage to or removal of the pancreas

Pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, and trauma can all harm the beta cells or make them less able to produce insulin, resulting in diabetes. If the damaged pancreas is removed diabetes will occur due to the loss of the beta cells.

Medicines

Certain medicines can harm beta cells or disrupt the way insulin works. These include;

Niacin, a type of vitamin B3

Certain types of diuretics, also called water pills

Anti-seizure drugs

Psychiatric drugs

www.who.int/newsroom/fact-sheetsdetail/diabetes

www.mayoclinic.org/disease-conditions/type-2-diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20351193