Doctor explains four classifications of diabetes mellitus sufferers
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Doctor and internal medicine specialist, Wirawan Hambali, explained the four classifications of diabetes mellitus, a chronic metabolic disease characterised by increased blood glucose due to the inability to dispose of insulin, insulin action, or a combination of both.
During a media gathering in Jakarta on Thursday, Dr. Wirawan Hambali, Sp. P.D, FINASIM, stated that the classifications of diabetes mellitus generally include type 1, type 2, gestational diabetes, and specific types related to other causes.
The graduate of the University of Indonesia explained that type 1 diabetes occurs due to damage to beta cells in the pancreas, which causes the body of the sufferer to experience absolute insulin deficiency.
Type 1 diabetes can be caused by autoimmune diseases, but the cause can also be unknown (idiopathic).
Type 1 diabetes often appears at a young age and most sufferers have a thin body.
Meanwhile, according to Dr. Wirawan, type 2 diabetes sufferers generally have a stout body.
“So, the fatter the body, the more resistant it becomes to insulin. Insulin cannot work optimally and if this continues, blood sugar will increase. That’s why people with type 2 diabetes are often overweight,” he explained.
According to the doctor, who practices at Pondok Indah-Puri Indah Hospital, as many as 95 percent of diabetes sufferers have type 2 diabetes.
He said that type 2 diabetes varies, some of whom have dominant insulin resistance accompanied by relative deficiency, while others have dominant insulin secretion defects accompanied by insulin resistance.
Meanwhile, specific types of diabetes related to other causes, according to him, can range from monogenic diabetes syndrome to disorders in pancreatic function such as exocrine pancreatic disease.
This type of diabetes can also occur due to the use of drugs or chemicals such as glucocorticoids, drugs for HIV/AIDS therapy, or treatment after organ transplantation.
Doctor Wirawan emphasised that diabetes can affect anyone regardless of age and gender.