Q. DEFINITION OF DIABETES MELLITUS?

The word "diabetes" is derived from the Greek word meaning "a siphon". The patients of diabetes had polyuria (passing excessive urine) and "pass it like a siphon".

Diabetes can be caused by too little insulin, resistance to insulin, or both. Diabetes is a chronic (lifelong) disease marked by high level of sugar in the blood. To understand diabetes, it is important to first understand the normal process by which food is broken down and used by the body for energy. Several things happen when food is digested:

• A sugar called glucose enters the bloodstream. Glucose is a source of fuel for the body.
• An organ called the pancreas makes insulin. The role of insulin is to move glucose from the bloodstream into muscle, fat, and liver cells, where it can be used as fuel.