A Malady Called Diabetes Mellitus
Author(s): Dr. Aarti MishraThe theme for World Diabetes Day 2019 and Diabetes Awareness Month is Family and Diabetes. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is promoting the role of family in the prevention...
The theme
for World
Diabetes Day 2019 and Diabetes Awareness Month is Family and
Diabetes. The International Diabetes Federation
(IDF) is promoting the role of family in the prevention and management of
diabetes in a person and is raising awareness about the impact that diabetes
has on a person’s family and support system.
Symptoms of Diabetes:
A research
conducted by International Diabetes Federation in 2018 found that
four in five parents had trouble recognizing the warning symptoms of diabetes
in their own children. This reveals that it is important to educate people in
spotting the warning signs of diabetes since untreated
diabetes can cause complications like heart attack, stroke, kidney failure,
blindness and amputation of limbs. Some common symptoms of Diabetes are
increase in thirst, increased hunger and increase in the frequency of
urination; dry mouth, fatigue and unexplained weight loss.
The World Diabetes Day
2019 focuses on 3 main areas-
a) Discover Diabetes
b) Prevent Type 2 Diabetes &
c)
Manage Diabetes
Detection of Diabetes
About 212 million cases of
diabetes all over the world (one in two) remain undiagnosed. Therefore, routine
screening of type 2 diabetes should be done at the age of 40 years, especially
if you are overweight. If risk factors like a family history of type 2
diabetes; sedentary lifestyle; high blood pressure and history of gestational
diabetes are present, screening for type 2 diabetes is also recommended for
people, who are below 40 years of age and overweight. Some other risk factors
associated with type 2 diabetes are unhealthy diet and consuming
high sugar foods especially sugar-sweetened beverages.
Effect of Diabetes on the Family
The latest research from
International Diabetes Federation (IDF) questioned seven thousand people in 7
countries about diabetes and found that 51% people living with diabetes felt
that their being diagnosed as a Diabetic had put a strain on their family. 43%
people said they felt anxious when they were diagnosed with diabetes.
Types of Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease that
occurs when the pancreas is not able to produce insulin or when the body cannot
properly use the insulin produced by pancreas. This leads to raised glucose
levels in the blood (hyperglycemia). Diabetes is mainly of three types.
a) Type 1 diabetes- It usually occurs in
children or young adults and is caused by an auto-immune reaction, in which the
body’s defense system attacks the pancreatic cells that produce insulin.
As a result, people with type 1 diabetes produce very little or no
insulin.
Management
of Type 1 Diabetes
People
with Type 1 Diabetes require daily insulin injection, regular monitoring of
blood glucose and a healthy diet & lifestyle in order to manage their
condition effectively and avoid or delay the onset of complications associated
with diabetes.
b) Type 2 diabetes- Type 2 Diabetes or
adult-onset diabetes accounts for 90% of all cases of diabetes and is characterized
by insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. Type 2 diabetes is
usually detected when a routine blood test is done, otherwise it may remain
undiagnosed for many years.
Prevention of Type 2
Diabetes
According to International
Diabetes Federation (IDF), 80% cases of Type 2 Diabetes can be
prevented through lifestyle changes. Randomized controlled
trials from various parts of the world including USA, Finland, India and China
have proved that lifestyle changes like a healthy diet and physical activity
can delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Management of Type 2 Diabetes
The foundation of
management of type 2 diabetes is a healthy diet, increase in physical activity
and maintenance of a healthy body weight. Oral medication &
insulin are also frequently required to control blood glucose levels.
A healthy diet for
diabetics includes reducing the intake of calories in overweight people,
substituting saturated fats with unsaturated fats and avoiding added sugar,
tobacco and excessive alcohol. .
c) Gestational
diabetes- This is a form of diabetes in which, a woman develops high
blood glucose level during pregnancy. GDM occurs in one in 25
pregnancies globally and causes complications to both the mother and the child. Gestational
Diabetes usually disappears after pregnancy, but women with GDM and their
children have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in
life. About 50% women with a history of GDM develop type 2
diabetes within 5-10 years of delivery.
To conclude, people with diabetes can live a long and healthy life
with proper diabetes management. This includes managing blood glucose levels as
well as risk factors for complications such as high B.P and high cholesterol.
(Dr.
Aarti Mishra is a Medical Communications Specialist based in Ludhiana)