Diabetes Etiology

In medicine, etiology refers to determining the cause of a disease or condition. Its impact on the evolution of civilization may be traced back to a number of significant findings, spanning from the germ theory of pathology to modern understanding of disease origins and regulation. Diabetes has a disease-specific etiology as well as a person-specific etiology. A complex interaction of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle variables causes diabetes. The destruction of pancreatic cells by the immune system causes type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance and relative insulin insufficiency and is often caused by a genetic predisposition. Insulin resistance is exacerbated by ageing, lack of physical activity, and being overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2) or obese (BMI >30 kg/m2).

• Environmental factors
• Genetic factors
• Lifestyle factors/demographics
• Disease associated with diabetes