Diabetes mellitus

When we talk about diabetes mellitus, we are talking about a condition characterized by continuous recurrences of elevated blood glucose levels. Another name for elevated blood glucose levels is hyperglycemia. Some people use the name diabetes. There are those who think that you can develop diabetes mellitus if you eat too much sugar, but it is not like that. Spread around the world, about 180 million people have diabetes mellitus. In the Netherlands, about 800.000 Dutch people are thought to have this condition. However, there are also about 250.000 people who have this condition without knowing it. There are two types of diabetes mellitus, type 1 and type 2. You can suffer from this at any age.

Symptoms of diabetes mellitus

When a person has type 2 diabetes mellitus, they often do not experience any symptoms. People with diabetes mellitus may suffer from having to urinate a lot and drink a lot. These are the symptoms they get when there is a high or very high blood glucose level (of more than 13 mmol/l). If the glucose level is too high then people are on average more likely to suffer from white blood, boils or a bladder infection. People suffering from diabetes mellitus are more likely to have wounds that do not heal or heal poorly. This is because the nerves do not work properly, they also do not feel well when they have a wound. You may also experience red or burning eyes. People may have blurred vision or inflammation of the eyes. In addition, they may be tired or very sleepy. It can also cause impotence, a dry mouth and a dry tongue.

Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus

The ideal blood glucose level should be on average between 4 and 8 mmol/liter (depending on the circumstances). A fasting value is between 4 and 5,6 mmol/l. If a person is fasting and this person is untreated and the values are above 6 mmol/l and " non-fasting" above 11,0 mmol/l, then it is called diabetes mellitus.

Complications with diabetes mellitus

Complications can occur with diabetes mellitus, especially in the longer term. It is possible that a highly accelerated atherosclerosis occurs in the larger arteries. People suffering from diabetes mellitus have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease. In addition, the sensory nerves also begin to work less. After a few years, numbness can occur in the feet and hands. This can cause tingling or tingling sensations. People find it very annoying when they experience this, but they cannot get rid of it. It is therefore important that diabetes mellitus is recognized in time so that they can do something about it. In principle, diabetes mellitus can be well controlled, as long as one gets to it in time and takes medication exactly on time. The strict adherence to the rules is essential in diabetes mellitus.