AWARENESS ABOUT DIABETES:

United Nations blue circle symbol for Diabetes



What is Diabetes?
Diabetes (or) Diabetes mellitus is a life-long disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood (hyperglycemia) resulting from either low levels of the hormone insulin.


What are the different types of Diabetes?
The Diabetes is classified into type1, type2 and gestational diabetes (occurring during pregnancy).


Type1 Diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes is caused usually due to the destruction of the pancreatic beta cells. Type 1 diabetes, in which insulin is not secreted by the pancreas, is directly treatable only with injected or inhaled insulin.


Type2 Diabetes:
Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance in target tissues, this causes a need for abnormally high amounts of insulin and diabetes develops when the beta cells cannot meet this demand.
Type 2 diabetes can also be managed with a combination of dietary treatment, tablets and injections and, frequently, insulin supplementation. While insulin was originally produced from natural sources such as porcine pancreas, most insulin used today is produced through genetic engineering, either as a direct copy of human insulin, or human insulin with modified molecules that provide different onset and duration of action. Insulin can also be delivered continuously by a specialized pump which subcutaneously provides insulin through a changeable catheter.


Gestational Diabetes:
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) resembles type 2 diabetes in several respects, involving a combination of inadequate insulin secretion and responsiveness. It occurs in about 2%–5% of all pregnancies and may improve or disappear after delivery. Gestational diabetes is fully treatable but requires careful medical supervision throughout the pregnancy.
If the Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is untreated in time it could damage the health of the fetus or mother. Risks to the baby include high birth weight (macrosomia), congenital cardiac and central nervous system anomalies, and skeletal muscle malformations. Increased fetal insulin may inhibit fetal surfactant production and cause respiratory distress syndrome



What are the Signs and symptoms of Diabetes?
The classical triads of diabetes symptoms are frequent urination (polyuria); increased thirst and consequent increased fluid intake (polydipsia); and increased appetite (polyphagia). Symptoms may develop quite rapidly (weeks or months) in type 1 diabetes, particularly in children. However, in type 2 diabetes the symptoms develop much more slowly and may be subtle or completely absent. Type 1 diabetes may also cause weight loss (despite normal or increased eating) and irreducible fatigue. These symptoms can also manifest in type 2 diabetes in patients whose diabetes is poorly controlled.
Prolonged high blood glucose causes glucose absorption, which leads to changes in the shape of the lenses of the eyes, resulting in vision changes. Blurred vision is a common complaint leading to a diabetes diagnosis; type 1 should always be suspected in cases of rapid vision change whereas type 2 is generally more gradual, but should still be suspected.
Patients (usually with type 1 diabetes) may also present with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), an extreme state of metabolic dysregulation characterized by the smell of acetone on the patient's breath; a rapid, deep breathing with great difficulty known as Kussmaul breathing . In severe DKA, coma may follow, progressing to death. Diabetic ketoacidosis is a medical emergency and requires hospital admission. A rarer but equally severe possibility is the diabetic coma (hyperosmolar nonketotic state), which is more common in type 2 diabetes and is mainly the result of dehydration due to loss of body water.


How to monitor diabetes?
Because of the damage that is caused by high blood glucose it is important to treat diabetes mellitus. The goal of treatment is to keep the blood glucose normal. The normal range for blood glucose is 60-120 mg/dL (milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood) or 3.5-7 mmol/l (millimole per liter of blood.) These are different ways of saying the same thing, very much like yards and meters are different ways of measuring distance.
Diabetics should check their blood glucose often. This is to make sure they do not get hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. A glucometer is a battery powered measuring machine that checks the level of glucose in blood. Diabetics often carry a glucometer with them to check their level several times in a day.
Diabetics also must be monitored for signs of the complications of diabetes. They should see an eye doctor regularly to be checked for damage to the blood vessels in the eyes. If this is not found early and treated it can cause blindness. They also should have their urine or blood checked regularly for signs of kidney damage. And they must check their feet for cuts, bruises, blisters, and so on at least every day. And they should have their feet checked regularly for nerve damage, circulation, and infections.


How to prevent,treat and manage diabetes?
The most important goal in diabetes is to keep blood glucose as normal as possible. Since it usually goes up after eating, and down after exercise, coping with it sensibly is often complex, and usually takes care and thought. And treatment differs between Type 1 and Type 2. People with Type 1 are treated with insulin. People with Type 2 usually begin with diet, exercise, and weight loss, perhaps moving to pills (and sometimes insulin.)

Education is important for both types of diabetes. Diabetics must learn about diet. They learn how to estimate and keep track of how much carbohydrate, protein, and fat are in different foods. They plan their meals to have the right amount of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Patients with Type 1 may decide how much insulin to take before a meal based on how much they will eat.

Diabetics must also be careful about exercise. Exercise is important to stay healthy. But too hard or too long exercise may cause hypoglycemia. So diabetics must also carefully plan exercise like they plan meals. Maintaining a healthy weight, getting at least 2½ hours of exercise per week (a brisk sustained walk appears sufficient), having a modest fat intake, and eating a good amount of fiber and whole grains. Some research has suggested that breastfeeding decreased the risk

In addition to controlling blood glucose other treatments may be needed. Diabetics often have blood vessel diseases, so it is important to pay attention to other diseases which may affect blood vessels. In people with diabetes, treating high blood pressure (hypertension) and high cholesterol is even more important than usually. Both of these diseases damage blood vessels. The treatment goals can change for diabetics. For instance, in people without diabetes, blood pressure should be 140/90 or less. In diabetics it should be 130/80 or less.