After Diabetes Diagnosis
Diabetes is a disease where blood sugar levels are too high because the body can no longer make or use insulin properly. The condition could lead to serious complications and even death. An estimated 29.1 million Americans have diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diabetes in the U.S. There are several types of diabetes, including Type 1, Type 2 and gestational — a type that occurs in pregnant women. Type 2 is the most common, and about 95 percent of all people with diabetes in the U.S. have this type. An additional 86 million adults in the United States have prediabetes, a condition where your blood sugar is high but not elevated enough for a diabetes diagnosis. Cases of diabetes increase each year, and every 19 seconds doctors diagnose someone in the U.S. with the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 3 adults may be diagnosed with diabetes by 2050. It’s important to keep blood sugar levels controlled because it can cause serious health problems — including kidney disease, heart problems, skin problems and limb amputations. Even if Type 2 diabetes has no cure, it can be prevented and managed. People with the disease can control blood sugar with lifestyle changes and medication. What is Type 2 Diabetes? Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which your body loses its ability to produce and use insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas that the body uses to convert glucose into energy. Without the right amount of insulin, excess sugar builds up in the body and causes a number of health problems. Where Type 1 typically occurs in younger people and is an immune disorder, Type 2 most often occurs later in life. In fact, the medical community used to call Type 2 diabetes “adult-onset” diabetes. M Continue reading >>
Diabetes And Dehydration: A Dangerous Combination
When you experience vomiting, nausea, fever, diarrhea, or any form of infection, you should immediately contact your physician. I can’t really emphasize enough the importance of getting treatment and getting it fast. To drive home this point, I’ll share the following experience. Some years ago, I got a call from a woman at about four o’clock on a Sunday afternoon. She wasn’t my patient, but her diabetologist was out of town for the weekend with no backup for emergencies. He had never taught her what I teach my patients — the contents of this chapter. She found my Diabetes Center in the white pages of the phone book. She was alone with her toddler son and had been vomiting continuously since 9:00 a.m. She asked me what she could do. I told her that she must be so dehydrated that her only choice was to get to a hospital emergency room as fast as possible for intravenous fluid replacement. While she dropped off her son with her mother, I called the hospital and told them to expect her. I got a call 5 hours later from an attending physician. He had admitted her to the hospital because the emergency room couldn’t help her. Why not? Her kidneys had failed from dehydration. Fortunately, the hospital had a dialysis center, so they put her on dialysis and gave her intravenous fluids. Had dialysis not been available, she would likely have died. As it turned out, she spent five days in the hospital. Clearly, a dehydrating illness is not something to take lightly, not a reason to assume your doctor is going to think you’re a hypochondriac if you call every time you have one of the problems discussed in this chapter. This is something that could kill you, and you need prompt treatment. Why is it, then, that diabetics have a more serious time with dehydrating illness th Continue reading >>
‘i Was 26 And Most Type 1 Diabetics Are Diagnosed In Childhood': The Deadly Danger Too Many Diabetics Aren't Warned About
Hannah Postles discovered she had type 1 diabetes after going to A&E with blurred vision. It wasn’t her only symptom. For the previous three weeks, she’d been thirsty, drinking two bottles of water at lunch, had lost weight and felt run down. Scroll down for video ‘My boss suggested I might have diabetes after looking up my symptoms online, but my GP seemed to dismiss it because of my age,’ says Hannah, a press officer for the University of Sheffield. ‘I was 26 and most type 1 diabetics are diagnosed in childhood.’ Luckily, Hannah spoke to a doctor friend who told her to go to A&E, where she was tested for diabetes, and immediately put on an insulin drip. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body doesn’t make insulin, the hormone that regulates glucose levels in the blood. Typically, people with type 1 diabetes are diagnosed around the age of 12 — although occasionally adults are diagnosed in later life. Type 2 diabetes, which can be diagnosed at any age, occurs when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin, or the insulin itself does not work properly. Not only did Hannah have diabetes, her blood sugar levels were so out of control by the time she was diagnosed that she had developed diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition when blood glucose levels remain persistently high for days or weeks. The condition can be caused by illness or infection or by the mismanagement of diabetes — which, as Hannah, now 29, discovered, can be the result of not knowing you have it. Symptoms include vomiting, headaches, abdominal pain and, if left too long, coma and even death. Had Hannah not gone to A&E, she might have died. In July 2012, new mother Nicky Rigby, 26, from the Wirral, did die from undiagnosed type 1 diabetes. She’d assumed her chronic tiredness a Continue reading >>
Understanding The Hidden Dangers Of Diabetes
Diabetes is a progressive disease that can cause many serious complications. Chronically elevated blood sugar levels can wreak havoc on your body. The good news is that managing diabetes and keeping your blood sugars controlled can help to prevent or or delay potential complications. Whether your diabetes is in good control or not, it is important to know what these complications are so that you can identify them and seek treatment right away. Some of the more well-known complications are nerve damage (neuropathy), such as peripheral neuropathy which is characterized by numbness, tingling, and pain in the hands and feet, kidney failure (nephropathy) and vision problems (retinopathy). Keeping your blood sugars, weight, blood pressure and getting routine check-ups by specialists can help you to prevent these types of complications. Additionally, there are some other types complications of diabetes that you may not be aware of. Skin Complications Having diabetes can make you more susceptible to disease, including diseases of the skin. In fact, skin disorders are sometimes one of the first noticeable signs of diabetes. You might be more at risk for fungal infections, bacterial infections, and itchy skin. Other disorders of the skin are more exclusive to diabetes. They include blisters, atherosclerosis, digital sclerosis, and eruptive xanthomatosis. Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease If you have diabetes, your risk of developing heart disease—coronary artery disease (CAD) in particular is twice as that of the rest of the population. High blood pressure and increased risk of stroke are also complications of diabetes. There are several reasons for this increased cardiac risk: Elevated blood sugar levels have been strongly correlated with endothelial dysfunction, a condition Continue reading >>
Complications
If diabetes isn't treated, it can lead to a number of other health problems. High glucose levels can damage blood vessels, nerves and organs. Even a mildly raised glucose level that doesn't cause any symptoms can have long-term damaging effects. Heart disease and stroke If you have diabetes, you're up to five times more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke. Prolonged, poorly controlled blood glucose levels increase the likelihood of atherosclerosis, where the blood vessels become clogged up and narrowed by fatty substances. This may result in poor blood supply to your heart, causing angina, which is a dull, heavy or tight pain in the chest. It also increases the chance that a blood vessel in your heart or brain will become blocked, leading to a heart attack or stroke. Nerve damage High blood glucose levels can damage the tiny blood vessels in your nerves. This can cause a tingling or burning pain that spreads from your fingers and toes up through your limbs. It can also cause numbness, which can lead to ulceration of the feet. Damage to the peripheral nervous system, which includes all parts of the nervous system that lie outside the central nervous system, is known as peripheral neuropathy. If the nerves in your digestive system are affected, you may experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation. Diabetic retinopathy Diabetic retinopathy is when the retina, the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye, becomes damaged. Blood vessels in the retina can become blocked or leaky, or can grow haphazardly. This prevents light fully passing through to your retina. If it isn't treated, it can damage your vision. Annual eye checks are usually organised by a regional photographic unit. If significant damage is detected, you may be referred to a Continue reading >>
What's The Difference Between Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes?
First, the formal name for what we commonly call diabetes is diabetes mellitus, which translates from the Greek as making lots of urine with sugar in it or making lots of sweet urine. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus are diseases that have in common, sugar in the urine and the increased urination. When there are high amounts of sugar in the blood, the kidneys filter sugar into the urine. Sugar can be measured in the urine through a lab test commonly called a urinalysis. Urine dipsticks are also used to show sugar in the urine. Patients who develop diabetes mellitus most commonly have initial symptoms of increased thirst, increased urination and blurred vision due to high amounts of sugar in the fluids of the eye. Type 1 diabetes results from a rheumatoid-like autoimmune reaction in which one's own body attacks and destroys the beta cells of the pancreas. These are the cells that normally produce insulin. Type 1 is a disease in which the patient in a relatively short time has no insulin production. All patients with type 1 diabetes can also develop a serious metabolic disorder called ketoacidosis when their blood sugars are high and there is not enough insulin in their body. Ketoacidosis can be fatal unless treated as an emergency with hydration and insulin. Type 1 was once commonly called juvenile diabetes mellitus because it is most commonly diagnosed in children. It should be noted that even older adults in their 60s have occasionally been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus. One should think of it as a disease of high blood sugars due to a deficiency of insulin production. It must be treated by administration of insulin. Insulin is given at least twice a day and is often given four times a day in type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes rates are growing dramatically Continue reading >>
Avoiding Complications Of Diabetes
It can take work to get your diabetes under control, but the results are worth it. If you don't make the effort to get a handle on it, you could set yourself up for a host of complications. Diabetes can take a toll on nearly every organ in your body, including the: Heart and blood vessels Eyes Kidneys Nerves Gastrointestinal tract Gums and teeth Heart and Blood Vessels Heart disease and blood vessel disease are common problems for many people who don’t have their diabetes under control. You're at least twice as likely to have heart problems and strokes as people who don’t have the condition. Blood vessel damage or nerve damage may also cause foot problems that, in rare cases, can lead to amputations. People with diabetes are ten times likelier to have their toes and feet removed than those without the disease. Symptoms: You might not notice warning signs until you have a heart attack or stroke. Problems with large blood vessels in your legs can cause leg cramps, changes in skin color, and less sensation. The good news: Many studies show that controlling your diabetes can help you avoid these problems, or stop them from getting worse if you have them. Diabetes is the leading cause of new vision loss among adults ages 20 to 74 in the U.S. It can lead to eye problems, some of which can cause blindness if not treated: Glaucoma Cataracts Diabetic retinopathy, which involves the small blood vessels in your eyes Symptoms: Vision problems or sudden vision loss. The good news: Studies show that regular eye exams and timely treatment of these kinds of problems could prevent up to 90% of diabetes-related blindness. *CGM-based treatment requires fingersticks for calibration, if patient is taking acetaminophen, or if symptoms/expectations do not match CGM readings, and if not pe Continue reading >>
Foot Ulcers Are Among The Most Dangerous Complications Of Diabetes. Here's How To Prevent Them.
Across the United States, an estimated 30 million people — more than 9 percent of the population — have diabetes. Of those, 7.2 million are unaware they are living with the disease. The proportion of adults with diabetes increases with age, reaching a high of 25.2 percent among those ages 65 and older. In addition to age, risk factors for diabetes include poor diet, low activity level, obesity and heredity. While diabetes is becoming more familiar to many, the same does not hold true for its complications. Not everyone is aware that diabetic foot ulcers are a common problem for patients with the disease. Diabetic foot ulcers can be one of the more persistent and dangerous consequences of diabetes. However, they can also be one of the most avoidable complications. Diabetic foot ulcers are a type of open sore that does not heal in a timely manner. On average, diabetic foot ulcers last 12 to 13 months and recur in more than half of patients, leading to loss of function and a decrease in quality of life. Chronic wounds such as these present a challenge to patients and healthcare professionals alike because of the high cost and intensity of care needed for treatment. Anyone with diabetes can develop a diabetic foot ulcer; however, those whose diabetes is out of control are at a higher risk. High blood sugar levels, poor circulation, immune system issues, nerve damage, and infection can also contribute to a non-healing diabetic foot ulcer. Approximately 15 percent of people living with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer, and an estimated 14 to 24 percent of patients with foot ulcers will experience an amputation. But these amputations are preventable. The Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine at Nazareth Hospital recommends taking the following steps to prevent Continue reading >>
Is Diabetes Dangerous?
Diabetes is a “slow subtle killer” usually with initially little to no pain. From the onset it can oh-so-slowly rob you of your quality of life without much notice … at least at first … even for years! Often it progresses so slowly that by the time many people realize how far and how bad it has become it’s simply too late. As the American Diabetes Association explains: “In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy. When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can lead to diabetes complications.” Glucose builds up in your bloodstream because your cells have become resistant to insulin, and your pancreas cannot produce enough to lower the sugar in your blood. While the reasons this happens are not entirely understood, lifestyle factors, including inactivity, also play a role. You may not experience any symptoms, especially if you have pre-diabetes, but some signs you may have the condition include: Increased thirst and frequent urination Unexplained weight loss Hunger Fatigue Frequent infections Blurred vision Slow-healing sores After these initial symptoms, long-term complications can develop. People with diabetes are at an increased risk of: Heart disease and stroke Nerve damage, which can lead to a loss of feeling in your limbs Eye damage (diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among 20-74-year-olds) Kidney damage (diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure) Foot damage (including infections and dam Continue reading >>
Which Is Worse: Type 1 Or Type 2 Diabetes?
Late Update: To be completely clear, the goal of this post is to point out how unproductive this question is. It comes up from time to time in the forums, but only leads to division. We all, regardless of type, have plenty to share with each other. Now, on to the original article. On our Facebook page, we discussed the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In the process, some type 1s and type 2s both suggested that they had it worse. Before we look at this question, let’s review the difference between the two types. The Difference Between Type 1 & Type 2 Imagine insulin is the key that opens your cells and lets sugar enter. If sugar can’t enter, it builds up in the blood, makes you hungry and thirsty, and causes your body to turn to fat for energy. The symptoms of diabetes. In type 1, your pancreas stops making keys. You need to put keys in your body (i.e. inject insulin) or sugar can’t get into your cells. In type 2 diabetes, the keyhole is rusty. You have keys, but they have trouble opening the cells. You either need more keys or a way to make the lock work better. You can take a little rust off the lock by exercising, losing weight, or taking medication. This is an imperfect analogy, but hopefully it highlights the basic difference. So Which Type Is Worse? This is a maddening question. Every person is unique, and neither type is a cake walk! Type 1s need insulin to live – but type 2s can require enormous amounts of insulin as their resistance to it increases and their insulin production declines. Type 2s can walk around undiagnosed for 5 years and have complications when diagnosed. People with type 1 usually get diagnosed quickly and can take immediate action. But don’t type 1s live with diabetes for a longer period of time? Not always! Some type Continue reading >>
Understanding Diabetes
This information describes diabetes, the complications related to the disease, and how you can prevent these complications. Blood Sugar Control Diabetes is a disease where the blood sugar runs too high, usually due to not enough insulin. It can cause terrible long-term complications if it is not treated properly. The most common serious complications are blindness ("retinopathy"), kidney failure requiring dependence on a dialysis machine to stay alive ("nephropathy"), and foot and leg amputations. The good news is that these complications can almost always be prevented if you keep your blood sugar near the normal range. The best way to keep blood sugar low is to eat a healthy diet and do regular exercise. Just 20 minutes of walking 4 or 5 times a week can do wonders for lowering blood sugar. Eating a healthy diet is also very important. Do your best to limit the number of calories you eat each day. Put smaller portions of food on your plate and eat more slowly so that your body has a chance to let you know when it's had enough to eat. It is also very important to limit saturated fats in your diet. Read food labels carefully to see which foods are high in saturated fats. Particular foods to cut down on are: whole milk and 2% milk, cheese, ice cream, fast foods, butter, bacon, sausage, beef, chicken with the skin on (skinless chicken is fine), doughnuts, cookies, chocolate, and nuts. Often, diet and exercise alone are not enough to control blood sugar. In this case, medicine is needed to bring the blood sugar down further. Often pills are enough, but sometimes insulin injections are needed. If medicines to lower blood sugar are started, it is still very important to keep doing regular exercise and eating a healthy diet. Keeping Track of Blood Sugar Checking blood sugar wi Continue reading >>
How Serious Is Type 2 Diabetes? Is It More Serious Than Type 1 Diabetes?
A fellow caregiver asked... How serious is type 2 diabetes, and is it less or more serious than type 1 diabetes? My mom, just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, keeps it under control without taking insulin. So is type 2 diabetes less of a problem than insulin-dependent type 1? Expert Answers No, definitely not. In fact, in some ways type 2 diabetes is a more serious disorder because your mom may have had it for years before she was diagnosed. So she may well have developed some of the long-term, debilitating complications linked to the condition without knowing it. In addition, since type 2 diabetes is a progressive disorder without a cure, over time her body may not be able to produce insulin or use it as well as it does now, and she may wind up needing insulin injections or pills. A person with type1 diabetes ignores it for a day at his own peril. He'll likely end up in the emergency room because his body can't absorb glucose without a continuous supply of insulin via injection or an insulin pump. People with type 1 diabetes typically develop such severe symptoms over a short time in childhood or early adulthood that they're forced to deal with it. Type 2 diabetes is a sneakier condition: Its harmful health effects can slowly build for years until full-blown complications, such as vision loss, heart disease, or foot problems, make it impossible to ignore. Plus it often comes with its own set of problems. For instance, people with type 2 diabetes are frequently diagnosed with high blood pressure and cholesterol along with high blood sugar. This damaging threesome can lead to progressive thickening of the arteries and reduced blood flow, putting your mom at greater risk for a slew of complications including heart disease, stroke, and nerve damage. If your mom is overweigh Continue reading >>
- diabetes: Gestational diabetes is a more serious problem in India than in other parts of the world: Dr Nam Han Cho, Health News, ET HealthWorld
- Advice to walk after meals is more effective for lowering postprandial glycaemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus than advice that does not specify timing: a randomised crossover study
- More than 500 children with Type 2 diabetes - just 16 years after first ever case
The Effects Of Diabetes On Your Body
When you hear the word “diabetes,” your first thought is likely about high blood sugar. Blood sugar is an often-underestimated component of your health. When it’s out of whack over a long period of time, it could develop into diabetes. Diabetes affects your body’s ability to produce or use insulin, a hormone that allows your body to turn glucose (sugar) into energy. Here’s what symptoms may occur to your body when diabetes takes effect. Diabetes can be effectively managed when caught early. However, when left untreated, it can lead to potential complications that include heart disease, stroke, kidney damage, and nerve damage. Normally after you eat or drink, your body will break down sugars from your food and use them for energy in your cells. To accomplish this, your pancreas needs to produce a hormone called insulin. Insulin is what facilitates the process of pulling sugar from the blood and putting it in the cells for use, or energy. If you have diabetes, your pancreas either produces too little insulin or none at all. The insulin can’t be used effectively. This allows blood glucose levels to rise while the rest of your cells are deprived of much-needed energy. This can lead to a wide variety of problems affecting nearly every major body system. The effects of diabetes on your body also depends on the type you have. There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 1, also called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is an immune system disorder. Your own immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, destroying your body’s ability to make insulin. With type 1 diabetes, you must take insulin to live. Most people are diagnosed as a child or young adult. Type 2 is related to insulin resistance. It used to occur i Continue reading >>
Diabetes Is A Serious Illness
Sorting facts from fiction is important About one in seven U.S. adults has diabetes now, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But by 2050, that rate could skyrocket to as many as one in three. Many of us don’t understand diabetes. To help contain this leading cause of disability and death, it’s important to separate fact from fiction. FICTION: Eating too much sugar causes diabetes. FACT: Many factors lead to the development of diabetes. Genetics, nutrition, exercise and lifestyle all play a role. Sugar may contribute to type 2 diabetes if it leads to weight gain, but it doesn’t cause the disease. “A diet high in calories — whether they’re from sugar or fat — raises your risk for type 2 diabetes,” said Mounaf Alsamman, MD, a family medicine doctor with Allina Medical Clinic – Brooklyn Park. “In this disease, your pancreas makes little or no insulin or your body’s cells don’t use it well. As a result, blood sugar can’t move from your bloodstream into the cells that need it for energy.” Alsamman tells his patients that sugar does not cause diabetes but it still needs to be monitored or reduced. “You just have to make sure to build your sweet treats into a healthy eating and exercise plan,” he explained. A healthful, balanced diet as well as regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight can help prevent diabetes. Go for gradual, achievable changes to your sugar intake, such as cutting back on sweetened beverages. FICTION: Only people who weigh far too much will develop type 2 diabetes. FACT: People of all ages and body types can develop type 2 diabetes. Being overweight is just one of the risk factors. Many people with type 2 diabetes are at a healthy weight or just moderately overweight. Excess weight increases yo Continue reading >>
Why Is Type 2 Diabetes Dangerous?
What Are The Symptoms Of Type 2 Diabetes? Fatigue, thirst, blurred vision, dry mouth, excessive urination, weight loss, hunger, etc are some of the common symptoms of type 2 diabetes. How Type 2 Diabetes Is Different From Type 1 Diabetes? The cells of our body that release insulin, gets destroyed by the body's immune system in type 1 diabetes. It reduces the insulin production from the body. In type 2 diabetes, our body still makes insulin but the cells don't use insulin in a right way and this condition is known as insulin resistance. What Is The Normal Range Of Blood Glucose Levels? Normal blood glucose levels for a diabetic person should be 70-130 mg/dL before meals and under 180 mg/dL is recommended, 2 hours after meals. Complications Of Type 2 Diabetes High blood sugar may affect our eyes, feet, skin, Heart and blood vessels. Even common infections may become serious if you are suffering from diabetes. Diabetic patients experience a rapid fall in weight, as like the other cells of the body, the fat cells are also not able to utilize the sugar available in blood for their maintenance. Dehydration is another feature which affects the body cells. The patient feels thirsty and anxious all the time. Painful and frequent urination which is accompanied by urinary tract infections. Nausea and vomiting LONG TERM COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES Long term complications of Diabetes include stroke, peripheral vascular disease, hypertension, urinary infections and coronary artery disease. Continue reading >>
