What is Diabetes Mellitus?

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common metabolic disorders affecting millions of people worldwide. It is a chronic condition that occurs when the body cannot properly regulate blood glucose (sugar) levels. Over time, uncontrolled diabetes can lead to serious complications involving the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart, and blood vessels. Early diagnosis, lifestyle management, regular monitoring, and appropriate treatment can help individuals live healthy and productive lives.

What is Diabetes Mellitus?

This is an abnormal endocrine gland secretion state. In this, less amount of insulin is secreted and so this condition enhances the state of keeping his sugar value in the blood, high starch in blood, and high fat metabolism in blood are happening. Normally, blood sugar in the blood should be released out to the cells to give energy and this process is affected by diabetes mellitus, as there is less amount of insuling in blood to do this process. Diabetes mellitus is of two types, such as, type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. We will now see what are type 1 and type 2 diabetes one by one.

Types of Diabetes Mellitus:

1. Type 1 diabetes:

The another name of this diabetic condition is insulin-dependent diabetes or IDDM in short. In this abnormal state, the special cells named beta islet cells in the pancreas are destroyed and so less insulin is produced in the pancreas. IDDM makes the patient lean, as there is more fat metabolism in the liver. The treatment for this condition is to inject the patient with insulin often.

2. Type 2 diabetes:

The another name of this is non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or NIDDM in short. In this condition, there is no destruction of Islet beta cells in the pancreas. Pancreas normally secretes insulin, but the target tissues create a resistance to insulin. The treatment for type 2 diabetes is to increase the sensitivity of the tissues by insulin is by diet control, exercising, and other drugs, and in some conditions insulin injections.

Symptoms of Diabetes Mellitus:

Main symptoms that happen during diabetes mellitus are: In eyes blurred vision, more thirst and urinary sensation due to more central nervous system stimulation, weight loss in the body, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain due to abnormal GI function, Kussmaul breathing due to hyperventillation, more urination and high amount of sugar in urine.

Complications of Diabetes:

In the long run untreated or uncontrolled diabetes mellitus may lead to some complicated conditions, such as, diabetic retinopathy or damage of blood vessels in the retina, diabetic neuropathy or kidneys stop to function, damage of blood vessels, and/or diabetic neuropathy or damage of nerves.

Additional Updated Information About Diabetes Mellitus

Global Impact of Diabetes

Diabetes has become a major public health concern across the world. According to recent health statistics, the number of people living with diabetes continues to rise due to factors such as sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy eating habits, obesity, and population aging. Type 2 diabetes accounts for the majority of diabetes cases globally.

How Insulin Works

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas. It acts like a key that allows glucose to enter the body's cells, where it is used for energy production. When insulin is absent or ineffective, glucose remains in the bloodstream, causing elevated blood sugar levels. Persistently high blood sugar can damage organs and tissues throughout the body.

Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes

Several factors can increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, including:

• Family history of diabetes

• Overweight or obesity

• Lack of physical activity

• High blood pressure

• Unhealthy dietary habits

• Increasing age

• History of gestational diabetes during pregnancy

• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Understanding these risk factors can help individuals take preventive measures early.

Prediabetes

Prediabetes is a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Many people with prediabetes have no noticeable symptoms. Lifestyle modifications such as weight management, regular exercise, and healthy eating can often prevent or delay the progression to Type 2 diabetes.

Modern Diagnosis of Diabetes

Healthcare providers commonly use the following tests to diagnose diabetes:

• Fasting Blood Glucose Test

• HbA1c (Glycated Hemoglobin) Test

• Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)

• Random Blood Sugar Test

The HbA1c test has become particularly important because it reflects average blood sugar levels over the previous two to three months.

Healthy Diet for Diabetes Management

Diet plays a crucial role in managing diabetes. Individuals are encouraged to:

• Eat plenty of vegetables and fiber-rich foods

• Choose whole grains instead of refined carbohydrates

• Limit sugary beverages and processed foods

• Include lean protein sources

• Consume healthy fats in moderation

• Practice portion control

A balanced diet can help maintain stable blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of complications.

Importance of Physical Activity

Regular exercise improves insulin sensitivity and helps lower blood glucose levels. Common recommended activities include:

• Walking

• Cycling

• Swimming

• Yoga

• Strength training exercises

Even 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week can provide significant health benefits.

Diabetes Technology and Current Trends

Recent advances in diabetes care have improved disease management significantly. Modern technologies include:

• Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) systems

• Smart insulin pens

• Insulin pumps

• Mobile health applications for glucose tracking

• Telemedicine consultations for diabetes management

These innovations help patients monitor blood sugar levels more effectively and make informed treatment decisions.

Diabetes and Heart Health

People with diabetes have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, managing blood pressure, cholesterol levels, body weight, and blood sugar is essential. Regular health check-ups can help identify and address cardiovascular risks early.

Importance of Regular Screening

Individuals with diabetes should undergo routine screening for:

• Eye health (retinal examinations)

• Kidney function

• Foot health

• Blood pressure

• Cholesterol levels

• Dental health

Early detection of complications can significantly improve treatment outcomes.

Diabetes Prevention Tips

Although Type 1 diabetes cannot currently be prevented, many cases of Type 2 diabetes can be delayed or prevented through healthy lifestyle choices:

• Maintain a healthy body weight

• Stay physically active

• Eat a nutritious balanced diet

• Avoid smoking

• Limit excessive alcohol consumption

• Get regular medical check-ups

Living Well With Diabetes

With proper management, many individuals with diabetes lead active and healthy lives. Consistent medication use, blood sugar monitoring, healthy eating habits, exercise, stress management, and regular healthcare visits are the key pillars of successful diabetes care.

Conclusion

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder that affects the body's ability to regulate blood glucose levels. Understanding its causes, symptoms, types, and complications is essential for effective management. Advances in medical treatment, technology, and lifestyle interventions have made it easier than ever for people with diabetes to maintain good health. Early diagnosis, preventive measures, and continuous monitoring remain crucial in reducing the burden of diabetes and improving quality of life.

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Medical Terminology Words and Meaning - Lesson 331

We try to learn medical terminology. what is a medical terminology? a medical terminology is a medical word, that's all. what is the difference between an ordinary word and a medical word. Every medical term has three different components, such as, prefix, combining vowel, and a suffix. Each medical term word is an unique one with its special meaning.

Take some examples, cardiologist, dental, myalgia.

The above examples are medical terms. The first one cardiologist means specialist in heart ailments. How can we come to this meaning? only by dividing them in mind. How can we divide  cardiologist? We can divide this word like this cardi/o/logist. The first part prefix is cardi/ means heart. /o/ is the combining vowel, and -/logist means specialist.

Take the second one dental. How can we divide them? dent/al

dent/ means teeth and -/al means pertaining to. So, dental means pertaining to teeth. 

Take the last medical terminology myalgia. what does it mean? my/- means muscle -/algia means pain. It means muscle pain.

All medical terms have combining vowel /o/ to connect one or more roots to the suffix.

Now we have to understand what is a root? it means the basement of a medical word, as it forms the foundation of a medical word. It is noted that each root should be ended with a combining vowel /o/. Any medical word can be with one or more than one roots. See this example.

A word with single root and combining vowel.

Cardiology = cardi/o/logy

A word with two roots and combining vowels.

gastroenterology = gastr/o/enter/o/logy

gastr/ - gastr/ means stomach and enter/ means intestine and /logy means study of

All roots are connected with 2 combining vowels.

Understood.m

In the next lesson, we will see about more medical terms and how to split them. Okay. Come on.

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Understand Medical Terminology - Lesson 330

Aims of learning the medical language

Medical transcriptionists are also called as medical language specialist or MLS, why because they should know everything about a medical term. Every MT should keep in mind how to analyze medical words by dividing them into its components, such as, PREFIX (word beginning), COMBINING VOWEL (the vowel O commonly joins one or two prefixes and suffixes), and SUFFIX (word ending component).

Each medical terms is a complex medical term. So, analyzing them by splitting them into its component is very much important to understand the meaning of the word. Each component of a medical word is unique one. This type of understanding is important to understand the meaning of each term, so that you can recognize each term.

By splitting each medical word, we do relate them and understand the structure of anatomy and function of the human body or any disease conditions etc. MTs should not try to just mug up the words to understand their meaning, it is totally an useless method. You should understand what is the real meaning of itself or what it terms about the human body. For example, encephalitis means encephal- means brain, and -itis means inflammation. It means inflammation of the brain. If we can understand each medical term by its components, we don't need to study them separately using any medical dictionaries.

All medical transcriptionists must not write any term with wrong spelling. Correct spelling is very very important thing in this profession, as all transcribed healthcare documents are considered as medicolegal documents. Some medical terms have the same pronounciation, but with different meanings. For example, ileum and ilium. In this example, ilium is a pelvic bone, as well as ileum is a segment of small intestine.

From the next lesson, we will learn how to analyze a medical word. Okay. Come on.

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What is Hyperinsulinism? - Lesson 329

Hyperinsulinism - What is it? When pancreas starts to secrete more insulin than its normal level and this abnormal condition is termed as hyperinsulinism. Due to this abnormal state, the level of blood sugar decreased because the secreted insulin in great amounts draw the sugar out of blood and so this happens. This may happen separately or may be associated with any other disease conditions in the body. It is understood importantly that when beta cells in the blood enters into the pancreas, more insulin is secreted. Why this happens? When more amount of blood glucose in the blood, pancreas automatically secretes more insulin to draw more glucose from the blood.

What are the normal blood sugar level? For normal adults, the fasting blood sugar level should be 70 to 100 millgram per deciliter (mg/dL).  Non-fasting blood sugar should be below 140 mg/dL.  Hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia is a condition, in which less glucose is present in the blood due to over secretion of insulin dropping out glucose from blood.

Diabetes Mellitus: This is an abnormal state where human body fails to work against insulin secreted by the pancreas, it may be an advanced state of hyperinsulinism. When body does not respond to the insulin for over a period of time, it may be lead to the diabetes mellitus.

What is congenital hyperinsulinism? Congenital means by birth. Some infants may born with hypersecretion of insulin.

What are the hyperinsulinism symptoms? Due to less amount of sugars in the blood due to higher amount of secretion of insulin in the blood by pancreas, many symptoms are not visible. The visible symptoms of less glucose in the blood evidently seen are weakness, shakiness, seizures or coma.

In the next lesson, we will learn about diabetes. Okay. Come on.

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Diagnosis Pheochromocytoma and Treatment - Lesson 328

Diagnosis Pheochromocytoma and Treatment - Lesson 328

An abnormal condition caused by thick colored stains formed by the tumor cells of adrenal medulla. As the name of the tumor pheochromocytoma illustrates the meaning, pheo- means dark or thick or dusky, chromo- means colored -cytoma means abnormal condition of tumor by these cells. The origin of this type of tumor is from the adrenal medulla. What these abnormal tumor cells do after their formation? These tumor cells will produce excessive in amount the hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine.

Signs and symptoms of pheochromocytoma: These tumor cells simply activate excessively the nerves of sympathetic nervous system and so heart rate may increase with blood pressure, excessive sweating may happen, weight loss, hyperglycemia, skin palpitations, as well as flank pain are the visible symptoms of pheochromocytoma.

Diagnosis of pheochromocytoma:  Identification of normetanephrine and metanephrine factors in plasma cells in the blood via blood test will notify this abnormal condition in patients. Urine test and clonidine suppression test are other less effective tests to be done to confirm the diagnosis.

Treatment for pheochromocytoma:  Surgically removing the tumor is the best choice by the physicians all over the world for the pheochromocytoma tumors. Surgery may be done either by laparotomy or by laparoscopy. The choice is chosen based on the complexity of the tumor and the severity of its formation when it is identified.

In the next post, we will deal with an abnormal condition of excessive secretion of insulin. Okay. Come on.

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New Medical Transcription Terms to Know...

1. aaIPI (age adjusted International Prognostic Index) - The age-adjusted IPI (aaIPI) has been used in studies adopting intensive treatment approaches such as high-dose therapy (HDT) and stem cell transplantation (SCT).

2.  Acticoat – nanocrystalline silver surgical dressing that is an antimicrobial barrier dressing.

3.  Abbott Grand Slam guide wire used in cardiac catheterization.

4.  ABCD criteria for pigmented lesions - asymmetry, border irregularity, color variegation, diameter. Can also be ABCDE - evolving.

5.  Abiraterone – chemotherapy drug for prostate cancer.

6.  Absolute self-expanding stent.

7.  Abumi method for cervical spinal pedicle screw placement.

8.  Acanya (benzoyl peroxide and clindamycin phosphate) - used for acne treatment

9.  Acapella chest physiotherapy device for cystic fibrosis patients.

10.  Acetadote – antidote for acetaminophen overdose (like Mucomyst).

11.  Actemra – new medication for rheumatoid arthritis.

12.  Activent-style pressure equalization tube.

13.  ACTOplus - combination of Pioglitazone and Metformin, to control blood sugar.

14.  ADAMTS protease levels 1 through 20 – enzyme that influences the course of cancers and inflammatory diseases.

15.  Adcirca (tadalafil) – medication for pulmonary hypertension.

16.  Adduction vs abduction:

17.  Adduction: moving toward the midline of the body.

18.  Abduction: moving away from the midline of the body.

19.  Adiana - permanent contraception. A very small device about the size of a grain of rice is placed into each fallopian tube. The fallopian tubes are blocked and scar tissue forms creating permanent blockage.

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Addison's Disease Endocrine Disease - Lesson 327

Addison's disease is an abnormal condition of less secretion of mineralocorticosteroids and glucocorticosteroids, especially less production of hormones produced by kidneys. Addison's disease happens when adrenal glands (glands above kidneys) produce less hormones, such as corticosteroids and aldosterone. The main reason for this disease is TB, any metastatic tumors or bilateral hemorrhage.

Adrenal Gland Hormones:  The glands produce hormones that are above kidneys are call adrenal glands. The outer area of an adrenal gland is called as cortex and the inner area of an adrenal gland is medulla. The main reason for the Addison's disease is less formation of adrenal cortex hormones. The names of adrenal cortex hormones are cortisol, aldosterone, androgen and estrogen.  Cortisol helps to maintain sugar in our body and immune response; aldosterone helps to regulate minerals, such as sodium and potassium in the blood. Androgen and estrogen are male and female sex hormones that are important for gender characteristics and development.

Cause of Addison's Disease:  For any reasons, if the adrenal cortex is affected, they may start to produce cortisol, aldosterone, androgen or estrogen and so Addison's disease happens. A disease called TB or HIV or tumors or blood loss may happen this damage to the adrenal cortex.

Symptoms of Addison's Disease:  The formation of less sugar in blood called hypoglycemia, less sodium in blood called hyponatremia, body weakness, weight loss, formation of dark pigments on the skin are the main symptoms of Addison's disease.

Treatment:  Abdominal CT scans and abdominal x-rays are helpful in diagnosing Addison's disease. A blood count check and mineral checks are important to diagnose this abnormal condition. Hormone replacement is the best treatment type of this.

For more read, please visit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addison's_disease

In the next lesson, we will see about diabetes mellitus. Okay. Come on.

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