8 Known Causes of Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is linkable to several causes. Some types of diabetes (Juvenile onset of type 1) start quite earlier while the adult onset or type 2 diabetes mellitus starts later in life. The cause of some forms of diabetes is quite unclear.
However, several factors have been suggested or known to cause diabetes. Some of the factors are:
1. Viral factor: Some forms of viruses known as diabetogenic viruses which attack the pancreas and cause autoimmune destruction of the beta cells are responsible for insulin-dependent diabetes.
2. Liver disease: Liver disease is known to trigger off diabetes mellitus. Liver diseases such as hepatitis and liver cirrhosis lead to impaired glucose tolerance. The way this happens is not very clear, but they have been linked with the onset of diabetes mellitus.
3. Insulin antagonists: High concentration of certain hormones in the blood stream has been known to cause diabetes mellitus. These hormones include thyroid hormones, growth hormones, gestational hormones, adrenaline and adrenocortical hormones. They are antagonistic to the action of insulin in circulation hence their presence in high concentration in the blood reduces the effectiveness of the insulin in the blood.
4. Genetic factor: Some forms of diabetes are inherited in different families. The way genetics play a role in the inheritance of diabetes is not particularly clear. Diabetes is also known to be passed on from the parents to offspring, or along the family line.
5. Pregnancy: Diabetes mellitus is also known to start during their pregnancy or after pregnancy in some women who had been normal before their pregnancy. The reason may be linkable to the high concentration of gestational hormone which is antagonistic to insulin, or it may be as a result of pregnancy-induced stress.
6. Obesity: Quite a number of persons with adult onset diabetes mellitus are those with obesity. Obesity brings about a decrease in the number of insulin receptor cells in the blood, but increases serum level of insulin. This brings about difficulty in the metabolism of glucose.
7. Drugs: Certain drugs such as thiazide diuretics and corticosteroids are also able to trigger off diabetes mellitus in people who are genetically predisposed.
8. Interference or impairment of glucose metabolism: This impairment can be due to any of the following: Destruction of the beta cells; retarded release of insulin; altered insulin receptors, decrease number of receptors on peripheral cells, or as a result of inactivation of insulin in the blood stream by antibodies or other agents.