Diabetes in itself can be a very serious illness however occasionally the symptoms associated with diabetes can mask or cover up a much deeper medical problem which is only
discovered later on.
The main symptoms of diabetes mellitus are:
Polyuria – excessive urine production due to the kidney’s inability to reabsorb water.
Polydipsia – excessive thirst.
Polyphagia – excessive eating.
However excessive urine production and excessive thirst are also common symptoms of diabetes insipidus, an illness that is commonly associated with an abnormality of the
posterior pituitary gland. This disorder is due to defects in the antidiuretic hormone receptors or an ability to secrete the actual hormone.
Either way, while diabetes insipidus may simply be due to the poor functioning of the posterior pituitary gland it can also show as a result of a brain tumour, a head trauma or
some viral infections, all of which can be life threatening illnesses.
Thus what may seem to be a simple case of diabetes mellitus can in fact be something much worse and totally unrelated to the pancreas and liver.
Type I diabetes is often caused by damage to the beta cells of the pancreas, either by injury or because of a disease that impairs insulin production. Viral infections and
autoimmune disorders can both be involved in the destruction of beta cells. In some cases there may be a hereditary tendency for beta cell degeneration and this can often be
initiated by some kind of viral infection or autoimmune disorder.
Thus the symptoms of type I diabetes may simply be masking a serious and potentially lethal viral infection or alternatively they may be the first visible signs of a chronic
autoimmune disorder.
Another potential underlying problem that may manifest itself as diabetes is impaired liver function. This is occasionally due to cancerous growths within the liver tissue or
within the ducts that join the liver and the pancreas. Occasionally metastases can move to the islets of Langerhans within the actual pancreas. These growths can stop the liver
from controlling the normal blood glucose levels which means that as the glucose levels in the blood increase, larger amounts of insulin are produced which, if left unchecked,
can lead to hyperinsulism. This is where excessive amounts of insulin are produced by the metastatic cancers and in some cases up to 1000grams of carbohydrate have to be
administered every 24 hours in order to prevent the individuals suffering from hypoglycaemia.
Impaired liver function can also be due to cirrhosis, especially if the individual has been a heavy drinker for much of their adult life and infections such as hepatitis.
Many of the disorders described above that can be hidden by the symptoms of diabetes will show up when the blood tests taken to confirm the patient does in fact have diabetes
are screened in a medical laboratory environment. Thus if the diabetes is a secondary illness caused by a separate underlying disorder this will quickly become apparent.
