Diabetes: causes, symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment
What is DIABETES? Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar. Hyperglycaemia, or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels. In 2014, 8.5% of adults aged 18 years and older had diabetes. In 2019, diabetes was the direct cause of 1.5 million deaths. To present a more accurate picture of the deaths causes by diabetes, however, deaths due to higher-than-optimal blood glucose through cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and tuberculosis should be added. In 2012 (year of the latest available data), there were another 2.2 million deaths due to high blood glucose. Between 2000 and 2016, there was a 5% increase in premature mortality from diabetes. In high-income countries, the prematu