Diabetes is a disease which restricts the normal capacities of the human body to use the energy coming from food. Being characterized by a sugar excess in blood, diabetes can result from genetic and environmental factors acting together. With an incredible increase in the number of patients suffering from diabetes, the experts speak today about diabetic epidemics.

In 1998, there were 143 million diabetics in the world. In 2025 it was estimated the number was 300 million.

Diabetes falls into two categories; these are type 1 and type 2. Whatever its type, diabetes represents an abnormal rise of glucose in a person’s blood. This anomaly is due to the insufficient level of insulin or maybe a misuse of it. If the appropriate treatment is not given, this disease can be the origin of many serious complications (cardiac disease, amputations, blindness, and impotence).

Glucose brings energy to different parts of the human body. Insulin plays a major role to stabilize the glucose in the blood after physical effort or after a meal. This is a complex regulating system.

For a normal man, glycemia levels oscillate at between 0, 5 and 1, 5 gram per liter of blood. Glycemia is the sugar rate in the blood, and the average value is 1 gram per liter (5,5 mmol/l). It varies between 1 and 1,4 gram/l two hours after a meal. It varies between 0.8 and 1.26 gram/liter in the morning.

According the World Health Organization, there is a diabetes problem when glycemia levels are higher in the morning or equal to 1.26 gram/liter. Hypoglycemia corresponds to a glycemia lower that 0.46 gram/liter.

Self monitoring services allow the use of capillary glycemia testing to be made. A puncture is made on a finger to measure it. The drop of blood obtained is deposited on a strip and it is immediately readable by a reader that can be stored in the patient’s pocket.

The glycourie is the sugar rate in the urine. It is necessary to know its value because when the sugar reaches 1.6 gram/liter, sugar has passed into the urine.

Diabetes is a chronic disease and the diabetic person has it for life. The person has to take ultimate responsibility for his condition, though he should be well supported by his doctor. If diabetes is not properly cared for, it can lead to complications which results in premature death, amputations, cardiovascular risks and blindness.

Type 1 diabetes which is insulin-dependents is also known as “thin” diabetes because one of its first symptoms is weight loss. It is also the main type to affect younger people. It is always treated by insulin; (it accounts for about 10% of the cases).

Type 2 diabetes is usually the non insulin-dependent cases, also described as “fatty” diabetes or diabetes of maturity (around fifty for people who are overweight). It counts for about 90% of cases and it is treated by a special diet plus drugs and possibly insulin, after years of evolution.

Hemoglobin glycoside is an indicator of a balance in diabetes. It estimates the glycemia for two previous months and indicates the long term risks and complications.