Diabetes Mellitus and Diverse Approaches to its Management in Practical Application

Diabetes is a lifelong (chronic) disease and is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by high levels of sugar in blood (hyperglycemia). More than 230 million people worldwide are affected, and it is expected to reach 350 million by 2025. Globally the affected people are unaware of the disease and only half receive adequate treatment. It is caused due to deficiency of insulin or resistance to insulin or both. Insulin is secreted by β-cells of pancreas to control blood sugar levels. Advancing age, obesity and history of diabetes in the family have been identified as a major risk factors for diabetes in a study conducted by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Although not highly correlated, gender and lack of sufficient exercise were also found to be risk factors for diabetes.A life style intervention with weight loss, exercise regimen and diet control is often the first step in treatment of patients with newly diagnosed with diabetes and recommended by the ADA. The main goal of diabetes management is, as far as possible, to restore carbohydrate metabolism to a normal state. To achieve this goal, individuals with an absolute deficiency of insulin require insulin replacement therapy, which is given through injections or tablets. Insulin resistance, in contrast, can be corrected by dietary modifications and exercise.