Immunosuppression in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Diabetes is an age-dependent health issue prevalent worldwide and specially seen in those families with prevalent history of the disorder. Insufficient insulin production by the defective pancreas that leads to high blood glucose levels in the systemic circulation makes the patients more prone to an infection that exaggerates with time as compared to their counterparts. This increased prevalence of infections in diabetics may be due to defects in the immune functionality of the diabetes patients. High blood glucose level evokes inflammatory responses due to provoked inflammatory immune response against hyperglycemic condition in adipocytes and macrophages. The inflammatory mediators attack the pancreatic beta cells thus affecting the insulin production, which in-turn again results in hyperglycemia. Dysfunction of the immune response could not control the invasion of pathogens thereby, increasing the incidence of infectious diseases and related co- morbidities. This chapter discusses about immune dysfunction and suppression in T2DM and the underlying inflammation and infections in diabetics. An elaborate and in-depth understanding of the immune dysfunction in T2DM patients can help in the management and development of better targeted therapeutics to cure the disorder. It may also provide an insight in how to take care of one’s health as a precautionary measure to avoid the complications leading to diabetes and vice versa.