The occurrence of any type of diabetes is due to the fact that glucose is not completely or partially absorbed in the human body, which entails a lot of unpleasant and sometimes irreversible consequences. Under normal conditions, 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" the sugar. In patients with diabetes, this process is disrupted for various reasons.
Type 1 diabetes
Usually, type 1 diabetes occurs in childhood and adolescence. The pancreas stops producing insulin because the beta cells of the "Island of Langerhans" are produced, which are completely or partially dead. Sometimes type 1 diabetes begins to occur after a serious viral infection, according to scientists, the fault of the immune system is the cause of this "failure".
Some dangerous viruses are very similar in structure to pancreatic beta cells, and the immune system destroys them along with foreign viruses. Insulin-producing cells cannot be restored, so for diabetics, the only way to improve metabolism is lifelong blood sugar control and prompt insulin use.
type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes usually develops in adulthood and old age. Very often, its occurrence is associated with obesity, although sometimes it also occurs with a genetic predisposition, as well as after taking certain drugs. Type 2 diabetes can develop against the background of chronic diseases of the pancreas or during pregnancy. Even when the pancreas of such patients produces enough insulin, it is still slower than necessary. As a result, the cells do not have time to use all the glucose and its levels rise.
The second reason for hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes is a decrease in tissue sensitivity to the hormone insulin. Doctors call this disorder "insulin resistance. " Simply put, they lack a normal amount, which is related mainly to obesity.
Gestational diabetes
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 tissues to it is reduced due to the presence of "pregnancy hormone" in the blood. It usually occurs at 20-24 weeks and continues until childbirth, and after childbirth, the metabolism will improve on its own. However, sometimes, under the guise of gestational diabetes, DM 1 begins, and it also occurs in the context of pregnancy, DM 2 appears, the presence of which the woman does not suspect. .