Did you know?
• More than 422 million people are suffering from diabetes throughout the world.
• In 2016, approximately 1.6 million people died directly due to diabetes.
That is a huge number for one disease. So for your clear understanding I have divided this article into the following sections:
1. What is diabetes
2. Signs and Symptoms of diabetes
3. Complications of diabetes
4. Diabetes treatment and management
What is diabetes?
In simple words, diabetes is a condition where the glucose levels in your blood rise beyond the allowed limits. Our body produces hormones insulin and glucagon. These two hormones are responsible to keep the glucose levels in check in the body. Insulin decreases while glucagon increases glucose. So both these hormones work together to maintain the glucose balance in the blood.
Trouble starts when these hormones fail to do their job causing an imbalance in the blood sugar levels interfering with the normal function of the body.
Type I diabetes usually occurs when the body starts to destroy its own insulin producing cells. This causes a deficiency in insulin. With insulin not present in sufficient amount the glucose levels increase in blood leading to a state of hyperglycemia that can cause further complications.
Type II diabetes has to do more with your eating habits and sedentary lifestyle and can be managed by improving the same. In this more common type, the body does not use the insulin effectively. This inability of the body to use the insulin leads to an increased blood glucose level.
Signs and Symptoms of diabetes
For Type I:
• Increased weight loss
• Fruity smell in breath
• Nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain
• Deep and labored breathing in case of complication
For Type II
• A feeling of tiredness all the time
• Increased thirst, hunger, urination
• Numbness or tingling in hands and feet
• Blurred vision
• Wounds that don’t heal or take a longer than usual to heal
Complications of diabetes:
Diabetes if not controlled properly or not treated, will lead to further serious complications. It is these complications which are a major cause of death among the diabetics. They usually occur when the body is in a state of hyperglycemia(when glucose levels exceed beyond the normal limits) for a very long period of time. With increasing time the risk also dramatically increases for all the other systems of the body:
• Visual impairment or blindness – this occurs in a majority of type I cases where changes occur in the retina causing blindness.
• Kidney failure – it is the leading cause of death among diabetics
• Limb amputations – as the nervous system gets effected, the person starts losing sensation especially in the extremities. They are unable to even feel the pain in a traumatized area leading to repeated trauma in the same area and infection to an extent where amputation is the only treatment option left. A common example of this is a diabetic foot ulcer.
• Heart attack, stroke – this is the most common cause of death in type II diabetes. The blood vessels become narrow and blocked reducing the flow of blood to heart and brain. This usually leads to heart attack or a stroke.
• Periodontits – did you know that bleeding gums and tooth loss can be a symptom of diabetes? Yes, periodontits is a form of gum infection that causes loss of loss of tooth supporting bone and ultimately tooth loss. Diabetes and this form of gum infection are dependent on each other. Controlling one can control the other to some extent.
Management/treatment of diabetes
• Lifestyle changes – diet, exercise and weight control are the main stay of the therapy.
Diet plan:
• Plan – what to eat
When to eat
How to eat
This is important if you want to maintain your balanced diet with your blood glucose levels in check along with medications.
• Prefer carbs with fiber like sweet potato to carbs with no/less fiber like soda.
• Ask your doctor or dietician for a diet plan to manage your carb intake
• Try to eat more foods with low glycemic index like beans, brown rice, yogurt, tomatoes etc.
• You can try the 9 inch plate method and also plan your portion size to keep your glucose intake in check.
• Monitor your own glucose levels regularly with the help of glucometers. Glucometers like Accu Chek help you in closely monitoring your glucose levels so that you can modify your diet accordingly even on an everyday basis.
Exercise and weight control:
Diabetes and obesity usually go hand in hand. Regular exercise and weight control go a long way in maintaining the blood glucose levels within limits.
• Do anything that you enjoy. The goal here is to be physically active and bring your BMI to an acceptable level.
• You can do walking, swimming, sports, yoga etc. Anything that interests you and keeps you physically active is fine.
• Doing resistance exercises, weightlifting or yoga helps in improving the glucose utilization in your body keeping it in acceptable levels. Get some fitness equipments today and start right away.
• Carry a carbohydrate snack with you to prevent episodes of hypoglycemia, a condition where the blood glucose falls to below normal levels.
• Keep yourself hydrated.
Antidiabetic drugs:
• Six classes of antidiabetic drugs exist.
• Your doctor will monitor your glucose levels and give a drug suitable to your disease and management status.
The main goal of treatment is to maintain the glucose levels within normal limits. With a combined patient-doctor effort topped with a change to healthy lifestyle, it is possible to manage diabetes to lead a healthy and happy life.