Doctor's Blog

Diabetes Mellitus
April, 2009

The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse in 2007 indicates that 23.6 million people in the US which is 7.8 % of the population have diabetes. Risk factors for diabetes mellitus (DM) includes older age, obesity, family history of DM, race/ethnicity.

The key component of DM is high blood glucose. How does this happen? The cells of the pancreas do not produce insulin and the tissues in the body become resistant to insulin. Insulin tells the tissues to absorb the glucose from the blood. When this system is not working, hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) develops. Persistent hyperglycemia can cause damage to many organ systems. Some complications of DM include heart disease, blindness, kidney damage, and nerve damage sometimes requiring amputation of extremities.

How do you diagnose diabetes? DM is defined as a fasting blood glucose (FBG) >126. A normal FBG is <100. Pre-diabetes and borderline diabetes are common terms that are used but not well understood. See the table below to learn the correct terminology and defining criteria. Persons with normal glucose tolerance already demonstrate evidence of declining pancreatic cell function by as much as 40%.

Diagnosis Criteria of Diabetes Mellitus
Fasting Blood Glucose (mg/dL)
<100	Normal
<110	Normal glucose tolerance
110-126	Impaired glucose tolerance
>126	Diabetes mellitus

Diet can control blood glucose levels in normal glucose tolerance and impaired glucose tolerance. The progressive nature of DM is caused by a steady decline in pancreatic cell function. As DM progresses, diet alone cannot control BS levels.

Quick Information

Doctors Blog