Allure Clinic Porto

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What is Diabetes Mellitus?

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common chronic diseases, characterized by excess sugar in the blood.

Signs and symptoms

Signs and symptoms

This disease can be silent or cause symptoms such as:

  • excessive thirst;
  • frequent urination;
  • weight loss;
  • tiredness;
  • visual changes.

 

It also frequently causes several chronic vascular complications, namely:

  • neuropathy (disease of the nerves throughout the body);
  • nephropathy (kidney disease);
  • retinopathy (disease of the retina);
  • coronary (heart) disease;
  • cerebrovascular (brain) disease;
  • peripheral arterial disease (arterial vessels);
  • diabetic foot;
  • erectile dysfunction (resulting from various complications).

 

It can also cause acute complications, all of which are endocrine emergencies, such as:

  • diabetic ketoacidosis;
  • severe hypoglycemia;
  • hyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome.
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Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus

Diagnosis should be as early as possible and treatment should be as timely, individualized and patient-centered as possible, as well as multidisciplinary (i.e., involving several medical specialties).

Medical Specialist
in Diabetes mellitus

Dr. Rosa Dantas

  • She has a degree in Medicine with a specialization in Endocrinology and Nutrition.
  • He holds the degree of Consultant in Endocrinology and Nutrition.
  • She is a researcher in national and international clinical research projects.
  • Author and co-author of scientific articles published in national and international journals.
  • He is a member of several national and international scientific societies in the field of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity.
See Full Biography
Dr. Rosa Dantas

Medical Specialist
in Diabetes mellitus

Dr. Selma Souto

  • She has a degree in Medicine with a specialization in Endocrinology and Nutrition.
  • She was a guest lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto.
  • He is currently Vice-President of the Portuguese Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (2024-2026).
  • He is a member of several national and international scientific societies in the field of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity.
  • Author and co-author of more than 20 book chapters in the area of Obesity and Diabetes.
See Full Biography
Dr. Selma Souto

Frequently Asked Questions about Diabetes Mellitus

1

What is the best diet for a person with diabetes mellitus?

The meal plan must always be carried out by a nutritionist.

2

What is the best physical training for a person with diabetes mellitus?

After a cardiac check-up, the best training should always be tailored to each individual and guided by a sports professional or physiotherapist.

Healthy lifestyle habits are always advisable, so being more active in your daily activities and walking are great exercises (always paying attention to appropriate clothing and footwear).

3

Having diabetes, will I need to take insulin?

It depends. If it's diabetes, in which pancreatic cells are destroyed (and therefore insulin is not produced), there is no other alternative (to date) other than insulin treatment.

If the etiology (cause) of diabetes is different, we have more and more drugs that we can use before insulin, making insulin treatment a “end of the line”, so to speak.

However, we know that some people end up needing insulin treatment after they have exhausted all other alternatives.

4

What are the types of diabetes?

The best known are type 1 (which requires insulin), type 2 (known as “age-related”, although nowadays, with the increasing number of obesity cases, we are starting to have type 2 diabetes at increasingly younger ages) and pregnancy-related (gestational) diabetes.

However, there are several other types associated with genetic or mitochondrial alterations, syndromes, diseases or even induced by drugs (the best known – corticosteroids) or surgery (for example, when a substantial part of the pancreas has to be removed).

It's important to highlight MODY (maturity-onset diabetes of the young), an autosomal dominant disease that can therefore be passed on to children of 50%. It's usually diagnosed before the age of 25, and there are usually several family members with diabetes.

Also worth mentioning is LADA type Diabetes (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults), an autoimmune diabetes (like type 1) that appears in adults.

5

Is one diabetes more serious than another?

Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by high blood glucose (sugar) levels.

These high levels cause organ toxicity and the problem is precisely that, poor metabolic control and target organ damage.

In other words, there is no diabetes that is more serious than another, but there is poorly controlled diabetes, and that is what determines the severity of the disease.

6

Is Diabetes curable?

Diabetes is a chronic disease that requires lifelong treatment.

There are cases described of diabetes associated with morbid obesity that resolved with clear weight loss, returning to a normal weight. However, this is not the rule.

7

Can I book an Endocrinology appointment online?

Yes, it's possible to schedule an endocrinology teleconsultation. To do so, simply contact Allure Clinic.