Patient's question:
My husband's grandmother got diabetes. Actually, it was okay before, but one day suddenly his grandfather called and said it was bad. He was sent to the hospital for emergency treatment and then lingered for more than a month before passing away. What kind of disease is diabetes?Doctor's answer:
Definition of Diabetes: Diabetes is a metabolic disease with multiple causes, characterized by chronic hyperglycemia, accompanied by metabolic disorders of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins due to defects in insulin secretion or action.The first layer of meaning is that diabetes belongs to the category of "metabolic diseases," and its essence is the abnormal metabolism of the three major nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. If carbohydrate metabolism is impaired, blood sugar levels rise; if protein metabolism is disrupted, the body cannot synthesize proteins normally, leading to poor wound healing, low immunity, and restricted growth and development in children—all of which require sufficient protein; if fat metabolism is problematic, fat breakdown increases while synthesis is limited, causing gradual weight loss and even ketoacidosis.
The second layer of meaning is that the characteristic of diabetes is the abnormal elevation of blood sugar. Although diabetes can affect the body in many ways, the most prominent feature is the abnormal increase in blood sugar, which can also be considered the defining characteristic of diabetes.
The third layer of meaning is that the root cause of diabetes lies in insulin—either a defect in insulin secretion (i.e., insufficient secretion) or a defect in insulin action (i.e., its normal function is not fully realized), or both secretion and action defects exist.
The fourth layer of meaning is that there are many causes of diabetes, and different causes can lead to different types of diabetes, with varying clinical manifestations and treatment approaches. Currently, diabetes cannot be cured.