haya.Learning made clear
Diabetes mellitus: types, symptoms, metabolic changes and complications sheet
10-mark answer frame

Define diabetes mellitus. Explain its types, symptoms and metabolic changes.

How to lay out the answer. Follow the frame, then write it in your own words.

  1. 1 · Open in two lines. Diabetes mellitus is chronic high blood sugar caused by lack of insulin, poor insulin action, or both. It affects carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism.
  2. 2 · Diagnosis. Fasting 126 mg/dL or more, 2-h OGTT 200 or more, HbA1c 6.5% or more.
  3. 3 · Types.
    • Type 1: autoimmune, insulin for life.
    • Type 2: insulin resistance, lifestyle and drugs.
    • Gestational and other specific types.
  4. 4 · Draw the symptom chain. [Flow: insulin lack → glucose cannot enter cells → hyperglycaemia → glycosuria → polyuria → thirst; cell starvation → hunger, weight loss]
  5. 5 · Metabolic changes. Carbohydrate, fat (ketones), protein (wasting), water and electrolytes.
  6. 6 · Complications and diet link. Hypoglycaemia (15-15 rule), ketoacidosis; retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, heart disease; diet controls sugar, fat and salt.
  7. 7 · Close in one line. Diabetes cannot be cured, but diet, exercise and drugs keep it under control.

Scoring tip: Put metabolic changes in a four-row table (carbohydrate, fat, protein, water); examiners award marks row by row.