The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to diabetes mellitus (diabetes insipidus not included below):

Diabetes mellitus – group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond properly to the insulin that is produced,^[1] a condition called insulin resistance. The resultant high blood sugar produces the classical symptoms of polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirst) and polyphagia (increased hunger).

What is diabetes mellitus?

Diabetes can be described as:

• A class of metabolic diseases
  • A class of systemic diseases^[2][3]

Types of diabetes mellitus

• Prediabetes –
• Main types of diabetes:
  • Type 1 diabetes – disease that results in autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas.^[4]
  • Type 2 diabetes – metabolic disorder that is characterized by high blood glucose in the context of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency.^[5]
    • Disease of affluence – type 2 diabetes is one of the "diseases of affluence", which include mostly chronic non-communicable diseases for which personal lifestyles and societal conditions associated with economic development are believed to be important risk factors.
  • Gestational diabetes – Gestational diabetes, is a temporary condition that is first diagnosed during pregnancy. Like type 1 and type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes causes blood sugar levels to become too high. It involves an increased risk of developing diabetes for both mother and child.
• Other types of diabetes:
  • Congenital diabetes –
  • Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes –
  • Steroid diabetes –
  • Monogenic diabetes –

Signs and symptoms of diabetes mellitus

• Symptoms of prediabetes – prediabetes typically has no distinct signs or symptoms. Patients should monitor for signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes mellitus (see below).

Signs and symptoms of Type II diabetes mellitus

Symptoms of type II diabetes mellitus include:^[6]

• Constant hunger
• Unexplained weight loss
• Weight gain
• Flu-like symptoms, including weakness and fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Slow healing of cuts or bruises
• Tingling or loss of feeling in hands or feet
• Recurring gum or skin infections
• Recurring vaginal or bladder infections
• Acetone odor during diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)

Causes of diabetes

Causes of diabetes mellitus type 1

• Genetic causes of diabetes mellitus type 1

Causes of diabetes mellitus type 2

• Genetic causes of diabetes mellitus type 2
• Lifestyle causes of diabetes mellitus type 2

Related conditions

• Impaired glucose tolerance –

Preventing diabetes mellitus

Preventing diabetes mellitus type 1

Currently, there is no known way to prevent diabetes mellitus type 1.

Preventing diabetes mellitus type 2

Preventing diabetes mellitus type 2 – entails a lifestyle with a routine, regime, or self care program that includes the following:

• Maintaining a healthy weight –
• Proper nutrition –
• Regular physical exercise – in addition to helping to maintain a healthy weight, sufficient vigorous physical exercise increases cells' sensitivity to insulin, and can thus prevent and possibly revert insulin resistance.
• Medication – specific medications have been shown to be able to prevent type 2 diabetes. However, the disease can often be delayed through proper nutrition and regular exercise.^[7]

Treating diabetes mellitus

• 

  Insulin therapy
  • Insulin

Low-carbohydrate diet

• Carbohydrate
  • Monosaccharide (simple carbohydrate) –
• Insulin index
• Glycemic index
• Glycemic load

Low-carbohydrate dietary programs

• Atkins diet
  • Atkins Nutritionals
  • Robert Atkins (nutritionist)
• William Banting
• Richard K. Bernstein
• Diabetic diet (low-carb)
• CarbSmart ice cream products from Breyers
• Ketogenic diet
• Low-glycemic index diet
• Meatatarian - (all meat diet, generally not recommended by some nutritionists)^[8][9]
• Montignac diet
• No-carbohydrate diet
• Pritikin diet
• Shirataki noodles
• South Beach Living
• Stillman diet
• Sugar Busters!
• Gary Taubes
• Zone diet

History of diabetes mellitus

History of diabetes influence

Persons influential in relation to diabetes mellitus

• Paul Langerhans
• Joseph von Mering
• Oskar Minkowski
• Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer
• Frederick Banting
• Charles Best
• James Collip
• Harold Percival Himsworth