Mellitus Diabetes mellitus is a disease arising from the inability of the body to metabolize glucose resulting in high blood glucose level, the development of ketoacidosis and the problems thereof. Both types have been recognized as genetic diseases for centuries and yet the contribution of genetic factors to the development of the disease remain obscure.
All tissues have an energy requirement that is usually met by metabolizing glucose.
The entry of glucose from the blood into the cells, of liver, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue is promoted by the presence of insulin. The inability of glucose to enter some tissues increases the need for alternate sources of energy, such as ketone bodies, which are synthesized by the liver. Diabetes is characterized by a deficiency of effective insulin, a proteinaceous hormone secreted by the b -cells of the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas. The structure of insulin was elucidated by Sanger in 1950s. The two chains are connected by two disulfide bonds and there is an additional disulfide linkage within the A chain.