E10.50: Type 1 diabetes mellitus With peripheral circulatory complications Controlled

You have diabetes. This is also known as diabetes mellitus.

The sugar from food or from sweet drinks is absorbed via the intestine. The sugar gets into the blood there. As a result, the sugar level in the blood rises after eating. The pancreas produces the messenger substance insulin. The pancreas is located in the upper abdomen. Insulin ensures that the sugar from the blood is absorbed into the cells. After eating, especially, the pancreas releases insulin into the blood. As a result, the sugar level in the blood then drops back.

Insulin is produced by specific tissue in the pancreas. Your immune system has produced antibodies to combat this tissue. Over time, these antibodies destroy the tissue. As a result, the pancreas is gradually able to produce less and less insulin. If there is too little insulin in the blood, the cells can no longer absorb the sugar from the blood properly. The sugar content in the blood may then be persistently too high. This is called Type 1 diabetes mellitus.

If the diabetes persists over a long period of time, it can damage the kidneys and eyes. A high blood sugar level can also damage nerves. When nerves are damaged, skin sensation disturbances or pain may occur. The sufferer may also have less strength in certain parts of their body.

The high sugar level has damaged your blood vessels. Fats and calcium can be deposited in the wall of damaged blood vessels. The deposits can constrict the blood vessels. When blood vessels get constricted, circulatory problems can occur. For example, wounds may consequently not heal as well. This may also impair the blood supply to individual organs. So the diabetes can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. Then the blood supply to areas of the heart or brain is impaired. The kidneys, eyes or skin may also be affected by the circulatory disorders.