What is Diabetes

Full name of this physical disorder consists of two words. Diabetes’ and ‘Mellitus’. There is another word ‘Insipidus’ also aligned with the two words. In fact the word (or term) ‘Diabetes’, which owes its origin to Unani language, means ‘That which comes out or that which flows’ and the term ‘Mellitus’ (a word of latin origin) means ‘sugar’ or ‘honey’. Hence, the term ‘Diabetes Mellitus’ means flow of sugar. The Ayurvedic term ‘Madhumeha’ means ‘Rain of honey’ stands for ‘Sugar’. Hence, Diabetes Mellitus and ‘Madhumeha’ are synonyms and they convey the same sense. Diabetes Insipidus is characterized by the persistent excretion of excessive quantities of urine of low specific gravity but this is not a specific kind of ‘True Diabetes’. But when the urine is loaded with excessive content of sugar and the urinary flow, irrespective of the quantity passed in 24 hours, is also on higher side, it may be called of diabetic origin. Diabetes Insipidus can be deduced by excessive thirst and urinary flow in large quantity. When the body fails to utilize the released quantity of sugar, it spills over in to the blood stream and renders the blood laden with sugar. When blood fails to absorb sugar, the excessive quantity passes on to kidneys and loads the urine with sugar.

Do not infer diabetes when there is sugar in urine only but when blood-tests reveal presence of sugar therein (in the blood) then diabetes Mellitus (DM) will be a confirmed diagnosis, calling for a further thorough probe.


Mere presence of sugar in urine is no definite sign or symptom of diabetic status of a person. But, its presence in urine is a forewarning that something is wrong somewhere. And what is wrong and where, will be determined and disclosed by patient’s objective and subjective symptoms, as also by clinical tests. Merely a single test report should never form basis for confirmation of diabetes unless repeated tests, after a gap of 4-5 days, show presence of sugar in urine, then only patient’s blood sugar should be tested and if blood is also shown to have sugar, in that case it becomes a confirmed case for ‘Diabetes Mellitus’ calls immediately which for a doctor’s advice and guidance.

To repeat, mere passing of excessive amount of urine does not confirm diabetes and also large amount of sugar in urine is also not a confirmed symptom of diabetes. But presence of large percentage of sugar in urine and blood is really ‘Diabetes Mellitus’ which should be attended to, after proper investigations and tests.

There is, sometimes, confusion about ‘enuresis’ and diabetes. Enuresis is actually ‘bed wetting’ which often occurs in infants, young people or old persons and usually occurs at night. It is involuntary flow of urine passed while sleeping, especially when the patient is unable to control pressure or urine. In infants and children, it gets automatically cured but if it continues even in or upto old age, then causes may have to the traced to some other disorders.