Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases that affect the way your body uses blood sugar (glucose). Glucose is essential to your health because it provides energy to the cells that make up your muscles and tissues. It is also the primary source of fuel for your brain.
Diabetes is caused by a variety of factors. However, regardless of the type of diabetes you have, it can result in an excess of sugar in your blood. Too much sugar in your bloodstream can cause serious health issues.
Type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes are both chronic diabetes conditions. Diabetes conditions that are potentially reversible include prediabetes and gestational diabetes. When your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes, you have prediabetes. And, unless appropriate measures are taken to prevent progression, prediabetes is frequently the precursor to diabetes. Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy but may disappear after the baby is born.
