Diabetes: An Introduction

Diabetes is a metabolic disease whereby the body is unable to produce any or enough insulin resulting in high glucose levels in the blood. Sufferers of diabetes either do have high blood glucose (sugar), because insulin production is insufficient to meet the body’s needs, or their body can’t respond to insulin. Some patients have both problems.

Diabetes ia global issue with nearly 350 million people worldwide diagnosed with the disease. According to the World Heath Organization, more than 80% of all cases of diabetes occur in low-and middle income countries. By 2030, WHO anticipates diabetes will be the 7th leading cause of death worldwide.

Here is a brief review of the three types of diabetes:

1. Type 1 diabetes: Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body cannot produce insulin. This type of diabetes is often called “juvenile” diabetes as it usually develops in children and teenagers, however, it can manifest at any age. Type 1 is the most severe form of diabetes, as the immune system does not recognize the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, and destroys them. Patients who have Type 1 diabetes must take insulin by injection for life, and also need to monitor and manage blood glucose levels through testing and following a particular diet. Of all diabetes cases, only 10 percent are Type 1, according to Medical News Today.
2. Type 2 diabetes: Type 2 Diabetes is marked by insufficient insulin production or insulin resistance. This is the most common type of diabetes, and 90 percent of all cases of diabetes are Type 2. Unlike Type 1 patients, Type 2 diabetes sufferers sometimes have the opportunity to control their symptoms through lifestyle management like weight loss, healthy exercise and a reasonable diet. However, Medical News Today notes, Type 2 diabetes is generally progressive, and tends to require the patient to take insulin as time goes on. Being overweight or obese raises the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes because these conditions cause the body to release chemicals that interfere with the cardiovascular and metabolic systems. Age is also a risk factor in developing this disease, as is having family with the same diagnosis.
3. Gestational diabetes: Gestational diabetes arises during pregnancy. Some women have very high blood glucose levels during gestation, and their bodies cannot produce enough insulin to handle the effects of the growing baby. The majority of women with gestational diabetes can control it with exercise and diet, though a small percentage will need to take medications to control blood glucose. If gestational diabetes goes undiagnosed and untreated, it can lead to complications in pregnancy, such as a baby being much larger than he or she ought to be.After bird, blood sugar levels should return to normal. However, women who had gestational diabetes during one pregnancy are at greater risk of gestational diabetes in their next and at greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in the future.

Tools for managing diabetes

Diabetes requires different management techniques depending on the particular type of the disease a patient suffers. Needs range from a way to record and organize diet and exercise information to insulin pumps, depending on which type of diabetes is involved.

1. Managing blood glucose levels: People with diabetes of all types need to keep an eye on their blood sugar. This can help doctors make the best treatment recommendation, and it informs patients when it is necessary to take insulin. Blood glucose meters work by using disposable test strips to test drops of blood that diabetics obtain using special lancing devices. There are many options for lancing, from single needles to spring-loaded lancing devices that may make the process less painful, according to the American Diabetes Association.Devices called continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) can test blood sugar all day at intervals of five minutes. This is accomplished through the use of tiny fibers that are attached to the skin through a patch. Results can be sent wirelessly to a small monitor, a doctor’s office or both. This can help in determining trends in blood sugar after eating certain foods or engaging in exercise. Using a CGM can be very helpful, but does not preclude the necessity of finger-stick testing at least every 12 hours, according to WebMD.
2. Administering insulin: For those diabetics who must take insulin, there are several available tools. Type 2 diabetics often inject insulin, as do Type 1 diabetics. There are preloaded syringe pens available that make measuring and administering insulin via injection more convenient for patients in this population. Some diabetics take tablets to get insulin rather than using injections.Type 1 diabetics often have insulin pumps, which are small computerized devices that are attached to catheters inserted through the skin into fatty tissue and taped into place. They can be programmed to release small continuous doses of insulin, known as basal insulin, as well as a dose close to mealtime to control blood glucose, known as a bolus dose. According to the American Diabetes Association, this is the insulin delivery system that most closely mimics the body’s normal production and release of insulin. According to WebMD, there are new smart insulin pumps available that will control insulin infusions based on information about blood sugar from a continuous glucose monitor that is synced with the device.
3. Lifestyle monitoring: Many phone and computer applications exist for diabetics to use in tracking their intake of foods, exercise routines and blood sugar levels. Having this information readily available to review with a medical professional can make diabetes management less of a guessing game and more consistent. Often, doctors will counsel people with diabetes to keep these kinds of records, but the convenience of having an app on a smartphone or tablet that is ever-present can increase compliance with this treatment recommendation.