also see: Type-1 diabetes and Type-2 diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a condition in which the amount of glucose (sugar) in the bloodstream is too high because the body cannot use it properly. Glucose comes from the carbohydrates in food or from the liver where it is stored as glycogen ( a specific type of carbohydrate). The hormone insulin is needed to allow glucose to pass from the bloodstream into the body cells where it is used as fuel or as building bloc.

Insulin is a peptide hormone composed of 51 amino acid residues, thus a small protein. It is produced in the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas mostly in response to food intake and increased blood glucose levels. Insulin, that is released in the bloodstream, causes most of the body's cells to take up glucose from the blood where it is either metabolized (used) or stored as glycogen (a branched chain of coupled glucose molecules). A fine tuned mechanism, involving insulin production and degradation, makes sure that the glucose levels in the blood remain at relative constant levels.

Glucose concentrations in the bloodstream rise (hyperglycemia) if insulin is low or absent (type-1 diabetes) or when glucose is not taken up by the body cells (type-2 diabetes). This condition is typical for diabetic patients and results in a range of symptoms: excessive thirst, excessive urination, poor wound healing. Recurrent high glucose levels cause damage to the blood vessels and to the organs they supply, leading to further complications of diabetes.

Too low concentrations of glucose in the bloodstream (hypoglycemia) can occur when insulin is administered but no food is taken. Glucose concentrations drop and while body cells may revert to the use fat as an energy source, nervous cells do not and only have very small internal stores of glycogen. Lack of sufficient glucose concentrations in the bloodstream can then cause the central nervous system to malfunction: dizziness and even loss of consciousness, known as "hypoglycemic coma" can occur. Severe acute or prolonged hypoglycemia may result in brain damage or death.

The World Health Organization recognizes three main forms of diabetes mellitus: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes (occurring during pregnancy), which have different causes and population distributions. Gestational diabetes typically resolves with delivery of the child, however types 1 and 2 diabetes are chronic conditions.

The film "Diabetes" in this package shows that research is being carried out to find out whether human brown fat cells can be used to burn excess blood glucose in favor of the white fat cells where glucose is stored as fat. This would help patients with type 2 diabetes to lower glucose concentrations in the bloodstream and counteract the insulin tolerance of the body cells.

Package #6

This knowledge package provides information on the prevalence and onset of diabetes, its genetic component, possible treatments and preventive measures.

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