Diabetes: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Types, and Treatment

Diabetes.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a hormone-related disease. If the body pancreas does not produce enough insulin or if the body fails to use the insulin it produces, then the disease is called  'diabetes' or 'diabetes Mellitus. When we take our food or carbohydrates, it breaks down into glucose. Insulin is a type of hormone. Its function is to transmit glucose to the cells of the human body. Then using glucose, the cells of the body produce energy and this energy helps us to do our daily activities. So, when glucose does not reach the cell of our body, it will disrupt people's daily activities. This increases the amount of glucose in the blood.  Excess glucose is released from the body through urine. For this reason, the diabetes patient has frequent urination. When the urine is high, the patient suffering from diabetes becomes thirsty. On the other hand, excessive glucose is released from the patient's body by frequent urination. The body's cells cannot produce sufficient energy. As a result, the patient experiences weakness. If the patient does not take the right measures to control diabetes, there may be various physical complications including blood vessels, nerves, kidneys, eyes, and heart problems.

[ Read more about Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus ]

Causes of diabetes:

Anyone can have diabetes at any time of any age. However, people with the following categories are more likely to have diabetes:

•  People who have diabetes, especially parents or close relatives of blood.
•  People who are overweight and who do no work or exercise.
•  People who have been using cortisol medicine for a long time.
•  Women who had diabetes during pregnancy and women who gave birth to over 9 pounds of baby.
•  People who have high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.

Symptoms of diabetes:

•  Frequently thirsty
•  Dry mouth
•  Frequent appetite
•  Frequent urination
•  Sleep loss due to urine at night
•  Lose weight despite eating enough   
•  Blurry vision
•  being nauseous
•  Occasional headache
•  Increasing attraction towards sweet foods
•  To be a little excited or upset
•  Lack of mindfulness
•  Delayed wound healing
•  Skin diseases, boils etc. appear
•  Feeling tired and weak
•  Frequent infections

Ways to diagnose diabetes:

• Diabetes can be diagnosed by measuring HbA1c and blood glucose levels.The blood glucose content of a healthy person after overnight fasting is about 70 to 110mg/dL or less than 6.1 mmol/L and 2 hours after taking food is less than 140mg/dL or less than 7.8 mmol/L and HbA1c value is less than 42 mmol/mol or less than 6.0%. 

• When blood glucose content after overnight fasting is between 110  to 126 mg/dL or 6.1  to 7.0 mmol/L and 2 hours after taking food  is between 140  to 200 mg/dL or between 7.8  to 11.1 mmol/L and HbA1c value is between 42  to 46 mmol/mol or  between 6.0  to 6.4% is considered pre-diabetes.

• when blood glucose content after overnight  fasting is more than 126 mg/dL or more than 7.0 mmol/L and 2 hours after taking food  is more than 200mg/dL or more than 11.1mmol/L and  HbA1c value is more than  48mmol/mol or  more than  6.5% then it is considered as diabetes mellitus or diabetes.

Types of diabetes:

There are usually four types of diabetes-

• Type-1
• Type-2
•  Gestational diabetes.
•  Other specific causal categories.

Type-1 : Type -1 diabetes, previously known as juvenile diabetes, is a form of diabetes in which very little or no insulin is produced by the pancreas. This type of diabetes is usually seen at the age of fewer than 30 years. These patients have to take insulin injections to control diabetes. Otherwise, blood sugar rises very quickly and within a short period of time, it becomes death due to acidic toxins in the blood.

Type-2: Type-2 diabetes, previously known as adult-onset diabetes, is a kind of diabetes that is caused by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and a relative lack of insulin. This type of diabetes primarily occurs as a result of obesity and lack of exercise. About 90%of total diabetes patient are suffering from type -2 diabetes and the other 10% are type-2 diabetes and gestational diabetes. This type of diabetes often seen at the age of over 30. Nowadays, this type of diabetes patient is seen below 30 years and increasing day by day. Their body can produce insulin but can not use the insulin. They do not get poisoned like a Type-I patient if they do not give insulin injections. So they are not insulin-dependent. In many cases, it is possible to treat them with a change of diet and regular exercise.

Gestational diabetes: Gestational diabetes is diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy. Often, pregnant women are diagnosed with diabetes and there is no diabetes after delivery. This type of complication is called gestational diabetes. Pregnant women with diabetes can be dangerous for both pregnant mothers and pregnant children. Expectant mothers can control gestational diabetes by eating healthy foods, exercising, and taking medication if necessary.

Other specific factors:

•   Decrease insulin production due to genetic reasons.
•   Decrease the effectiveness of insulin for genetic reasons.
•   Various diseases of pancreas.
•   Excessive of other hormones
•   Interaction of drugs and chemicals.

Diabetes Treatment:  In the treatment of diabetes, the most important thing is to control blood glucose or to keep it at the desired level. If any diabetic complications have already occurred then it is important to take proper treatment and to take special care for the organ those may be at risk for diabetes. For each diabetic, the treatment may be a little different. But for all diabetes patients, the principle is the same. They are:

Physical activity and exercise: Diabetes patients must do physical activity or exercise regularly. If someone's physical condition is bad and not able to do any kinds of  physical  activity, exercise, or walking, then he may be exempted from this. Physical activity and exercise can be done in various ways. It can also be a regular exercise in the gymnasium. It can be done at home by doing various household activities or other kinds of exercise that can be done in the room. For those who can exercise in the gymnasium then that is appropriate for them and for those who are unable to do so, walking is the best. There is some confusion about walking. Diabetes patients have to decide when to walk. You can walk in the morning, in the evening or at any time of the night. Schedule a walking time with your daily activities. You have to walk at least 5 days per week. Walking speed will be such that one can go 3 miles in 40 minutes. Exercises like swimming or jogging are also useful. When someone's blood glucose level is very high then he should not exercise and when someone's blood glucose level is low then he can exercise after taking snacks. when someone's blood pressure is very high then he avoids exercise. Exercise should be selected according to the physician's advice.

Medicine consumption: If a diabetes patient can not control blood glucose level by changing eating habits and physical exercise or physical activity or people who are in a state of stress or in emergency situations. Then they have to take medicine. There are two types of medicine - oral medication and insulin. The doctor will decide which applies to whom. He will also fix the dosage, time of taking, and other advice. Do not take any diabetes medication or reduce insulin or increase it yourself. You can get into any kind of danger at any time. Tell your doctor if you have a problem. He will take the necessary step. By changing the diet many diabetes patients can control diabetes for a certain period of time. It has to do with physical activity and exercise. If it does not work, you should take oral medicine or insulin. Someone needs all the ways.

Maintain discipline: A diabetes patient must maintain discipline in every sphere of life because a disciplined life can help a diabetes patient to avoid complications. A diabetes patient always keeps in mind the following things :

• Timely eating and take a balanced diet.
•  To do regular physical exercise or physical activity.
•  Follow the doctor's advice and prescription strictly.
•  Keep oneself neat and clean always.
•  Special care should be taken for the feet.
•  Regular urine tests should be done and the results should be recorded in the urine test notebook.
•  Sugar, sweets, jaggery, honey should be avoided as much as possible.
•  If there is a physical problem, it is important to consult with the doctor without delay.
• Diabetes treatment cannot be stopped for any reason without doctor's advice.
•  It is best to control diabetes by measuring instant own blood sugar level.  
• Every diabetes patient must keep an instant blood sugar measuring instruments.

Education: Diabetes is a life-long disease. By taking proper measures these diseases can be controlled completely. The arrangements must be followed by the patient's own responsibility and the support of the members to the patient’s family can help a lot. So, as the patient needs to learn about diabetes, so do relatives of the patient.