Diabetes and Anemia Relations

Diabetes is a chronic endocrine disease, characterized by disorders of metabolism and absolute or relative insulin deficiency. The metabolic disorders have a negative affect on internal body parts that is why the condition as diabetic nephropathy often develops. One of the diabetic nephropathy consequences is anemia, caused in the majority patients by this pathology. In this article, we would like to tell about the reasons, importance of anemia in the affected with diabetes.

Insulin is a hormone of our organism, regulating an exchange of glucose, fats and fibers. Insulin is produced by the pancreas in reply to the increase in glucose levels of the blood (for example, after a food intake). Entering the bloodstream, insulin is carried to all internal body parts, interacts with cells and provides capture and processing of glucose. Thus, insulin provides the decrease in glucose and nutrition of fabrics (some fabrics of our body are not capable to cease glucose at insulin shortage). The reason for diabetes is insulin deficiency. Insulin deficiency can be absolute when the pancreas produces not enough insulin (or does not produce it at all). Absolute deficiency of insulin is observed at type I diabetes and relative when insulin is produced normally and cannot provide adequate glucose metabolism. Such a situation is observed at type II diabetes when physiological amounts of insulin cannot provide the decrease in the level of glucose in the blood because of the reduction in sensitivity of fabrics to insulin.

Anemia substantially reduces the life quality of the sick with diabetes. Against anemia we can observe the decrease in appetite, physical abilities, intellectual and sexual functions of patients. The affected with diabetes and anemia are subject to a greater risk of developing cardiovascular diseases as, most likely, anemia is the independent factor that promotes disorders, related to heart and blood vessels.

---

Glucophage (Metformin) is the best-selling and most popular anti-diabetic agent in the United States and one of the most prescribed medications in the country for patients with type II diabetes mellitus, especially in stoutness and obese people and those with normal kidney secretion function.