Diabetes

Diabetes is very common worldwide, and many people suffer from it. It also leads to extremely dangerous complications if left unmanaged.

Diabetes

The body needs energy to keep working, and this energy comes from food that is converted to a sugar called glucose that is responsible for nurturing the body cells and supplying them with energy. When the glucose enters the blood, it needs the insulin hormone, which is responsible for entering the glucose into the cells, and it’s produced from the pancreas. If the pancreas didn’t produce enough insulin, or if the body didn’t use this insulin properly, then the glucose will build up in the bloodstream, which causes high blood sugar. With time, if this problem continues, this continuous high blood sugar will lead to diabetes.

There are two main types of diabetes, and they’re chronic, which means that they don’t have a cure:

• Type 1 diabetes: It’s an autoimmune disease, which means that the immune system attacks and damages the cells that produce insulin without a reason. This type usually occurs in childhood, but it could also manifest at any age.
• Type 2 diabetes: It occurs when the body doesn’t make enough insulin or when the cells don’t respond to insulin (and that’s called insulin resistance). This type is the most common and usually occurs in adults, especially after the age of 40, but it could also manifest in children.

There are other treatable types of diabetes as well, such as:

• Prediabetes: This condition occurs when the blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to cause diabetes. This condition can develop and become diabetes if left unmanaged.
• Gestational diabetes: It occurs in pregnant women and usually wears off when the pregnancy ends. However, this condition increases the risk for the woman of having type 2 diabetes in the future.

Risk factors leading to diabetes

There isn’t a specific risk factor for type 1 diabetes, but the risk increases if there’s a family history.

Risk factors for type 2 diabetes:

• Overweight and obesity.
• Not following a healthy lifestyle.
• Genetic factors.
• African and Asian races.
• Having other conditions like hypertension.

Risk factors for gestational diabetes:

• Having gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy.
• Age older than 25 years old.
• Overweight and obesity.
• Having polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
• The weight of the fetus is greater than 4 kg (9 pounds).
• Family history of having type 2 diabetes.

Symptoms of diabetes

• Frequent urination.
• Increased thirst.
• Fatigue and exhaustion.
• Unintentional weight loss.
• Increased hunger.
• Tingling or numbness in the hands and feet.
• Slow wound healing.
• Dry skin.
• Blurred vision.
• Increased irritation and mood swings.
• The symptoms usually appear within weeks in type 1 diabetes, while they might appear after years in type 2 diabetes. In gestational diabetes, there might not be any symptoms, therefore, the pregnant woman must check her blood sugar regularly during the weeks 24-48 of pregnancy.

Complications of diabetes

• Coronary artery disease.
• Diabetic neuropathy.
• Eye issues like diabetic retinopathy.
• Diabetic nephropathy.
• Diabetic foot.
• Skin and mouth infections.
• Gastroparesis.
• Hair impairment.
• Sexual dysfunction.
• Increased risk of Alzheimer’s.
• Depression.
• Gestational diabetes complications include excess fetus growth, low fetus blood sugar, an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in the child, fetus death, and preeclampsia in the pregnant woman.

Diagnosis of diabetes

• Fasting blood sugar test.
• Random blood sugar test.
• Glycated hemoglobin (A1c) test.
• Glucose tolerance test.

Management of diabetes

• Following a healthy diet and exercising.
• Type 1 diabetes treatment is primarily insulin.
• Type 2 diabetes treatment is oral diabetes medication, and some cases might need insulin.
• Prediabetes treatment is oral diabetes medication.
• Gestational diabetes treatment includes insulin and sometimes oral diabetes medications.
• Some cases of type 1 diabetes might require a pancreas transplant.
• Regular blood sugar monitoring.

Prevention of diabetes

• Follow a healthy lifestyle and exercise.
• Lose weight if needed.
• Manage stress.
• Avoid smoking.
• Avoid heavy alcohol consumption.
• Get enough sleep.