Diabetes Disease

Diabetes — scientific infographic poster
Type 1 vs Type 2 diabetes
Affected anatomy in Diabetes
Affected anatomy in Diabetes
Pathophysiology of Diabetes
Pathophysiology of Diabetes
Diabetes clinical presentation
Diabetes clinical presentation

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. It occurs when your blood glucose (blood sugar) is too high.

Types of Diabetes

1. Type 1 Diabetes

2. Type 2 Diabetes

3. Gestational Diabetes

Symptoms of Diabetes

Causes and Risk Factors

Management and Treatment

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes

Gestational Diabetes

Complications of Diabetes

References & Research

Historical Background

Diabetes has been known since antiquity -- the term "diabetes" was coined by the Greek physician Aretaeus of Cappadocia in the 2nd century AD. The distinction between type 1 and type 2 diabetes was established by Harold Himsworth in 1936. The discovery of insulin by Frederick Banting and Charles Best in 1921 at the University of Toronto remains one of the most transformative breakthroughs in medical history, earning the Nobel Prize in 1923.

Key Research Papers

  1. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial Research Group. The effect of intensive treatment of diabetes on the development and progression of long-term complications in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. N Engl J Med. 1993;329(14):977-986.
  2. UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) Group. Intensive blood-glucose control with sulphonylureas or insulin compared with conventional treatment and risk of complications in patients with type 2 diabetes (UKPDS 33). Lancet. 1998;352(9131):837-853.
  3. ADVANCE Collaborative Group. Intensive blood glucose control and vascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2008;358(24):2560-2572.
  4. Zinman B, Wanner C, Lachin JM, et al. Empagliflozin, cardiovascular outcomes, and mortality in type 2 diabetes (EMPA-REG OUTCOME). N Engl J Med. 2015;373(22):2117-2128.
  5. Marso SP, Daniels GH, Poulter NR, et al. Liraglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes (LEADER). N Engl J Med. 2016;375(4):311-322.
  6. Knowler WC, Barrett-Connor E, Fowler SE, et al. Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin (Diabetes Prevention Program). N Engl J Med. 2002;346(6):393-403.
  7. American Diabetes Association. Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes -- 2020. Diabetes Care. 2020;43(Suppl 1):S1-S212.
  8. Neal B, Perkovic V, Mahaffey KW, et al. Canagliflozin and cardiovascular and renal events in type 2 diabetes (CANVAS Program). N Engl J Med. 2017;377(7):644-657.
  9. Tuomilehto J, Lindstrom J, Eriksson JG, et al. Prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus by changes in lifestyle among subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study). N Engl J Med. 2001;344(18):1343-1350.
  10. Inzucchi SE, Bergenstal RM, Buse JB, et al. Management of hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes, 2015: a patient-centered approach. Diabetes Care. 2015;38(1):140-149.
  11. NCD Risk Factor Collaboration. Worldwide trends in diabetes since 1980: a pooled analysis of 751 population-based studies. Lancet. 2016;387(10027):1513-1530.
  12. Gerstein HC, Colhoun HM, Dagenais GR, et al. Dulaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes (REWIND). Lancet. 2019;394(10193):121-130.

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Deep-Dive Articles

Type 1 vs Type 2 vs LADA & MODY

Autoimmune T1D, insulin-resistant T2D, slowly-progressing LADA, and monogenic MODY — how to tell them apart and why misdiagnosis is common in adults.

A1c, Fructosamine & Glycation

What HbA1c actually measures, when it lies (anemia, pregnancy, hemoglobinopathies), fructosamine as a 2-3 week alternative, and the glycation-marker landscape.

CGM & Time-in-Range

Time-in-range (70-180) as the modern gold standard, GMI vs A1c, ambulatory glucose profile interpretation, and which devices (Dexcom G7, Libre 3, Medtronic 780G).

Insulin Types & Dosing

Basal, bolus, pre-mixed, ultra-rapid; basal-bolus vs pump therapy; carb counting, correction factors, insulin-to-carb ratios, and the closed-loop pump systems.

Cardio-Renal Protection: SGLT2s & GLP-1s

EMPA-REG, DAPA-HF, CREDENCE, FLOW, LEADER, SELECT — why these drugs' benefits extend beyond glucose and have reshaped diabetes guidelines.

Remission & Reversal

DiRECT trial, Virta Health 2-year keto data, bariatric-surgery remission, early-intensive-insulin, time-restricted eating. When remission is realistic and how to hold it.

Complications: Eye, Kidney, Nerve

Annual dilated eye exam, UACR and eGFR, monofilament and vibration testing, autonomic neuropathy. Screening cadence, prevention, and the drugs that slow progression.

Hypoglycemia & Awareness

Recognizing lows, hypoglycemia unawareness, the rule of 15, glucagon (Baqsimi, Gvoke, Zegalogue), nocturnal lows, dead-in-bed syndrome, and awareness restoration.

Diabetic Foot Care & Ulcer Prevention

Monofilament testing, ABI screening, offloading, and when to refer to wound care.

🩸 Interactive Visualization Blood Sugar & Insulin — eat a meal and watch glucose move Watch insulin escort glucose into cells and the liver bank glycogen, then switch on insulin resistance and see the curve change. Launch → ⚖️ Interactive Visualization Blood pH — hold the acid–base balance yourself Keep blood pH between 7.35 and 7.45 — blow off CO₂ with the lungs in minutes, dump acid through the kidneys over hours, then break it with hyperventilation or diabetic ketoacidosis. Launch → 🍬 Interactive Visualization SGLT2 — watch the kidney spill sugar into the urine Watch the kidney reclaim every gram of glucose — until blood sugar passes the threshold and it spills into the urine, or an SGLT2-inhibitor drug dumps it there on purpose. Launch → 🏦 Interactive Visualization Liver & Blood Sugar — bank and release glucose Watch the liver bank glucose as glycogen after a meal and release it between meals to hold your blood sugar steady — then fast long enough to make new glucose from scratch, or watch diabetes over-pour it. Launch → 🍯 Interactive Visualization Glycation & HbA1c — sugar-coat a red cell and watch the number lag Coat red blood cells in glucose for 120 days and watch HbA1c emerge as their average — then normalize the sugar today and see why the number takes months to follow. Launch →

Table of Contents

Research Papers

The following PubMed topic searches aggregate the current peer-reviewed literature. Each link opens a live PubMed query — results update as new studies are indexed.

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Connections

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