What is Diabetes Mellitus?

Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by inappropriate hyperglycemia from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. Acute symptoms are the 'polys' -- polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia -- plus weight loss, blurred vision, fatigue, and poor wound healing. Chronic hyperglycemia damages the eyes, heart, kidneys, blood vessels, and nerves.

There are four classes: type 1 (autoimmune beta-cell destruction, absolute insulin deficiency, usually diagnosed before age 30), type 2 (insulin resistance + relative deficiency, over 90% of cases), gestational (first appears in pregnancy), and other specific types (secondary/monogenic/LADA). About 8.3% of the US population has diabetes; 35% of adults have prediabetes.

📖 “DM = metabolic diseases of hyperglycemia (defects in insulin secretion/action). Polys + weight loss, blurred vision, poor healing. Classes: T1DM (autoimmune, autoantibodies, absolute deficiency), T2DM (>90%, insulin resistance), gestational, other. 8.3% have DM, 35% prediabetes.”