Delving into diabetes in Kenya:Causes,Prevalence, Diagnosis and Treatment

Introduction

Diabetes is a condition that happens when your blood sugar (glucose) is too high. It develops when your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin or any at all, or when your body isn’t responding to the effects of insulin properly. Diabetes affects people of all ages. Most forms of diabetes are chronic (lifelong), and all forms are manageable with medications and/or lifestyle changes.

Causes

Diabetes , generally speaking, is caused by an increase in blood glucose levels regardless of the type. However, there are varied explanations as to why one may experience high blood sugar depending on the type of diabetes they may have.

So, what causes diabetes?

Insulin resistance:

Insulin is a hormone that acts like a ‘key’ which unlocks the cell ,so to say, in order for glucose to enter. In some cases, the body cells may fail to respond accordingly to the insulin leading to build up of glucose in the blood. This is common in type 2 diabetes and factors such as obesity, lack of proper body exercise , hormonal imbalances and genetic factors may predispose individuals to this condition.

2.Autoimune reactions

Autoimmunity is when the body's immune system attacks itself. When it comes to diabetes, the body's immune system goes after pancreatic cells that are essential in producing insulin . This leads to a reduction in insulin production hence less glucose enters body cells.This is more common in type 1 diabetes.

3.Hormonal imbalances

Pregnancy is a good example of an event that can cause hormonal fluctuations.During gestation the placenta may produce certain hormones that cause insulin resistance.Should the pancreas fail to produce enough insulin to overcome the resistance then one is prone to get gestational diabetes.

4.Pancreatic damage

5**.Genetic factors**