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Diabetes Mellitus Is Not A Single Disease

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“Alright Mr. Smith, I hate to inform you, but yes, you do have Diabetes Type 2.”
In 2012, 29.1 million Americans, or 9.3% of the population, had diabetes. Of the 29.1 million, 21.0 million were diagnosed, and 8.1 million were undiagnosed. "In 1996 diabetes contributed to more than 162,000 deaths"(Lewis 1367). According to, well known, diabetes researcher McCance "Diabetes mellitus is not a single disease but a group of disorders with glucose intolerance in common" (674). Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia (increased blood sugar) and results from defective insulin production, secretion, and utilization. How can us Americans reduce the wide spread of this disease? The first step is to be informed on its complications, and signs so you can avoid accidentally bringing it upon yourself.
Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or type 2 Diabetes is caused by a defect in insulin manufacture and release from the beta cell or insulin resistance in the peripheral tissues. Approximately ninety percent of diabetic patients have NIDDM. Genetics play a big role in the etiology of NIDDM and is often associated with obesity. Usually presentation is slow and often insidious with symptoms of fatigue, weight gain, poor wound healing, and recurrent infection. Primarily occurs in adults over thirty. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is defined as carbohydrate intolerance, which occurs during pregnancy.
Occurs in approximately three percent of

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