Diabetes: What you should know?

Why would we willingly put ourselves at risk for heart-attack, stroke, blindness, kidney- failure and nerve weakness. But if you are one of the twenty million Americans who are afflicted with diabetes, you have already increased your risk for these life threatening diseases.

Diabetes occurs when the blood sugar (glucose) rises to an alarming high, as our body fails to control insulin which is essential to maintain a healthy sugar-level. There are two types of diabetes - type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes is commonly seen among children and young adults. People suffering from type 1 diabetes require a daily insulin injection to survive. Type 2 diabetes is a terrifying killer that affects 95 % of the total diabetes cases in America.
The symptoms of diabetes are very tough to recognize. That's why most of the people find it when they had already crossed into an advanced level of diabetes. It is a silent killer that begins with initial signs of unending thirst, frequent urination, dramatic weight loss, irritability, dry and weathered skin, slowly healing infections, feeling of ants trotting around feet. Obesity is also a prime cause of diabetes among people in their forties.

In most people the complications due to diabetes can be controlled with lifestyle changes including regular exercise. A diet is a vital element of all diabetes management programs. Diet is important because every time you eat, your sugar level is affected.

Insulin is a naturally occurring hormone secreted by the pancreas in our body. Any imbalance in sugar level during diabetes can be controlled by medicines like Insulin aspart and insulin glargine. Approximately 25 percent of patients are diagnosed with insulin.

Weight gain is commonly seen among the people starting with insulin treatment. Many people gain around 4 pounds as insulin begins controlling their sugar levels. Weight gain may also result due to complicating stage of diabetes or it can be related to medications being taken to treat antipsychotics (an illness due to diabetes).

If you or your relatives experience symptoms of diabetes, call your doctor immediately. An early and timely treatment is required for proper management of disease and it also lessens the chances of further complications arising due to it in future.

 
 

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