Diabetes Mellitus

... Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases characterised by overly high blood glucose levels (hyperglycaemia). It occurs as a result of defective secretion of the insulin hormone or the abnormal decrease in sensitivity of insulin target cells - with insulin secretion too low to compensate for the resistance to its effects. In normal blood sugar regulation, glucose binds to pancreatic ß-cells - endocrine cells located in the islets of Langerhans. This causes the secretion of insulin into the bloodstream. The insulin, in turn, binds with specific membrane receptors of the hepatocyte cells of the liver. This causes the uptake, by facilitated diffusion, of glucose from the bloodstream through protein carrier molecules into the cells. The glucose can then be converted into glycogen (an insoluble storage carbohydrate) by the process of glycogenesis via intracellular enzymes of the hepatocytes. Three main forms of diabetes exist: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes

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