
Diabetes
Medical condition / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels.[11][12] Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough insulin, or the cells of the body not responding properly to the insulin produced.[13] Diabetes, if left untreated, leads to many health complications.[3] Untreated or poorly treated diabetes accounts for approximately 1.5 million deaths per year.[11]
Diabetes | |
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Universal blue circle symbol for diabetes[1] | |
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Specialty | Endocrinology |
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Complications | |
Duration | Remission may occur, but diabetes is often life-long |
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Causes | Insulin insufficiency or gradual resistance |
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Frequency | 463 million (8.8%)[10] |
Deaths | 4.2 million (2019)[10] |
There is no widely accepted cure for most cases of diabetes. The most common treatment for type 1 diabetes is insulin replacement therapy (insulin injections). Anti-diabetic medications such as metformin and semaglutide, as well as lifestyle modifications, can be used to prevent or respond to type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes normally resolves shortly after delivery.
As of 2019, an estimated 463 million people had diabetes worldwide accounting for 8.8% of the adult population. Type 2 diabetes makes up about 90% of all diabetes cases.[10] The prevalence of the disease continues to increase, most dramatically in low- and middle-income nations.[14] Rates are similar in women and men, with diabetes being the 7th-leading cause of death globally.[15][16] The global expenditure on diabetes-related healthcare is an estimated USD760 billion a year.[17]