On this page
What is diabetes mellitus?
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition in which the body makes too little of the hormone insulin or cannot use it properly. Insulin is produced by the pancreas and helps glucose (sugar) enter cells from the bloodstream to be converted into energy. In uncontrolled diabetes, there is an inadequate supply of glucose to the cells and a build-up of glucose in the bloodstream. This can lead to a range of disturbances affecting the heart, brain, kidneys and other parts of the body.
Because the common feature of diabetes is high blood glucose, it is often mistakenly thought to be a single disease. There are actually several types of diabetes, with different causal mechanisms. The three main types: are Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is marked by a total or near-total lack of insulin. It results from the body destroying its own insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. In 2007, 987 new cases of Type 1 diabetes in children aged under 15 years were recorded. This equates to an annual incidence of 24.2 cases per 100,000 children (around 1 in 4,000) and represents a 30% increase in the rate of new cases compared with that in 2000. Many people with this form of diabetes eventually need insulin therapy to control their blood glucose levels. (Australia's health 2010 pages: 152-154, June 2010)
Type 2 diabetes is marked by reduced levels of insulin, or the inability of the body to use insulin properly (insulin resistance). Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, occurring mostly in people aged 50 years and over, and accounting for 85-90% of all cases. Although still uncommon in childhood, Type 2 diabetes is becoming increasingly recognised in that group. (Australia's health 2010 pages: 152-154, June 2010)
Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy in about 3-8% of females not previously diagnosed with diabetes. Screening tests for gestation diabetes are usually performed around the 24th-28th weeks of pregnancy. It is a transient form of diabetes and usually disappears after the baby is born. However, it is a marker of increased risk to develop Type 2 diabetes later in life. Some women with this type of diabetes need insulin therapy to control their blood glucose levels.
Why is diabetes mellitus a National Health Priority Area?
Diabetes mellitus and its complications contribute significantly to ill health, disability, poor quality of life and premature death. Additionally, diabetes mellitus is a contributing factor to several other causes of morbidity and mortality. It also increases the risk of a variety of complications including end-stage kidney disease, coronary heart disease, stroke and other vascular diseases.
A total of 13,101 deaths in Australia in 2007 were caused to some degree by diabetes (9.5% of all deaths). It was listed as the underlying cause of 3,810 deaths (2.8% of all deaths) and as an associated cause in 9,291 deaths (6.7% of all deaths). Where diabetes was the underlying cause of death, common conditions listed as associated causes included coronary heart disease (in 64% of cases), kidney-related diseases (32%), heart failure (19%) and stroke (17%). When diabetes was listed as an associated cause, coronary heart disease was the most common underlying cause of death (27% of cases), followed by stroke (7%), kidney-related diseases (2%) and heart failure (2%). (Australia's health 2010 pages: 156-159, June 2010)
Diabetes mellitus was responsible for just under 6.6% of the burden of disease in disability-adjusted life years in Australia in 2007. Type 2 diabetes is estimated to account for the great majority (94%) of the diabetes burden in 2010. The ranking of Type 2 diabetes as a cause of disease burden has increased over time: from sixth among the 20 leading causes of disease burden for both males and females in 1993 to second for males and third for females in 2010. (Australia's health 2010 pages: 157-159, June 2010)