Diabetes can strike anyone, from any walk of life. In the last decade, the cases of people living with diabetes jumped almost 50 percent – to more than 29 million Americans. This mainly because of change in life style and eating habits. Worldwide, it afflicts more than 380 million people. And the World Health Organization estimates that by 2030, that number of persons living with diabetes will more than double.
Living with diabetes places an enormous emotional, physical and financial burden on the entire family.
What is DIABETESE?
When you eat, your body turns food into sugars or glucose. At that point, your pancreas is supposed to release insulin. Insulin serves as a “key” to open your cells, to allow the glucose to enter — and enable you to use the glucose for energy. But with diabetes, this system does not work.
Several major things can go wrong – causing the onset of diabetes. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are the most common forms of the disease, but there are also other kinds, such as gestational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy, as well as other forms:
What is Type 1 Diabetes?
The more severe form of diabetes is type 1, or insulin-dependent diabetes. It’s sometimes called “juvenile” diabetes, because type 1 diabetes usually develops in children and teenagers though it can develop at any age.
Immune System Attacks
With type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks part of its own pancreas. Scientists are not sure why. But the immune system mistakenly sees the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas as foreign and destroys them. This attack is known as “autoimmune” disease. These cells – called “islets”– are the ones that sense glucose in the blood and, in response, produce the necessary amount of insulin to normalize blood sugars.Insulin serves as a “key” to open your cells, to allow the glucose to enter — and enable you to use the glucose for energy.
Without insulin, there is no “key.” So, the sugar stays — and builds up– in the blood. The result: the body’s cells starve from the lack of glucose. And, if left untreated, the high level of “blood sugar” can damage eyes, kidneys, nerves, and the heart, and can also lead to coma and death.
Insulin Therapy
So, a person with type 1 treats the disease by taking insulin injections.
This outside source of insulin now serves as the “key” — bringing glucose to the body’s cells.
The challenge for this treatment is that it’s often not possible to know precisely how much insulin to take. The amount is based on many factors, including:
- Food, Exercise, Stress, Emotions and general health.
Balancing Act
These factors fluctuate significantly throughout every day. So, deciding on what dose of insulin to take is a complicated balancing act.
If you take too much, then your body burns too much glucose — and your blood sugar can drop to a dangerously low level. This is a condition calledhypoglycemia, which, if untreated, can be potentially life-threatening.
If you take too little insulin, your body can again be starved of the energy it needs, and your blood sugar can rise to a dangerously high level.
What is Type 2 Diabetes?
The most common form of diabetes is called type 2, or non-insulin dependent diabetes. This is also called “adult onset” diabetes since it typically develops after age 35. However, a growing number of younger people are now developing type 2 diabetes. People with type 2 are able to produce some of their own insulin. Often, it’s not enough. And sometimes, the insulin will try to serve as the “key” to open the body’s cells, to allow the glucose to enter. But the key won’t work. The cells won’t open. This is called insulin resistance.
Often, type 2 is tied to people who are overweight, with a sedentary lifestyle. Treatment focuses on diet and exercise. If blood sugar levels are still high, oral medications are used to help the body use its own insulin more efficiently. In some cases, insulin injections are necessary.
Carb Counting
Carabohydrarde foods have the greatest impact on your blood sugars? — “carbs” — are broken down into glucose. So if you eat too much of them, your blood sugar level may rise. For this reason, people with diabetes find it helpful to keep track of the “carbs” they eat in order to manage their blood sugars.
Checking Blood Sugar
Many people are frightened to check their blood sugar — or “blood glucose” — levels because they do not want to see levels that are higher or lower than their target range. Checking blood sugar at home, in school, and in the workplace is essential to managing diabetes. It puts you in control of your diabetes. Remember, your blood sugar levels remain the same whether you know about them or not. Checking blood sugar levels is the most accurate way to see if your lifestyle changes and medications are helping you to manage better your diabetes. If levels are above or below your target range, blood glucose monitoring provides you with the ability to identify what is causing the problem and to correct it.
Tips on Monitoring Monitoring Glucose
- Wash your hands with warm water before
- Ensure your test strips have not expired
- Remember to calibrate your meter (if your meter requires this)
- Use different fingers Note: Do not use alternate site testing if you think your blood sugar is very high or low – finger checks give you the most accurate re‐ sult. Explore the with your health care team the
- Best times to check your blood sugar level – times could include: Prior to your meal and / or 2 hours Þ after the meal Overnight Þ If you feel unwell Þ Record your results in a logbook especially if readings are out of range. This will help you to identify patterns in your levels and make the required changes to get your blood sugar back to your target range.
- Bringing 5‐7 days of blood sugar records to your health care visit will help the team to determine your dia‐ betes management needs. Never leave your meter or strips in a hot car.
Not all people with diabetes are the same, and therefore, blood sugar tar‐ gets may vary from person to per‐ son. In general, blood sugar targets are: Most blood sugar meters have the ability to give you your average blood sugar values. Your glycated hemoglobin is a blood test that you can have done every 3 months. This blood test tells you and your health care team about your blood sugar control over the previous 3 months. Fasting and Pre‐meals: 4.7‐ 6.5
- 2-hour post meals: less than 9.0
- Pre‐bed: 5.5‐ 7.6 if taking medication that can lower blood sugar levels.
- HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE & HEART ISSUES
