Diabetes is a disorder that disrupts the way your body uses sugar. All the cells in your body need sugar to work normally. Sugar gets into the cells with the help of a hormone called insulin, if there is not enough insulin or if your body stops responding to insulin, sugar builds up in the blood. This is what happens to people with diabetes. High blood sugar levels can lead to problems if untreated.

1. What are different types of diabetes?

There are mainly  two different types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2:

• In type 1 diabetes, the problem is that the pancreas (an organ in the abdomen) stops making insulin(generally occur in children and adolescent)
• In type 2 diabetes, (most common type >90%) the body stops responding to normal or even high levels of insulin, and over time, the pancreas does not make enough insulin.

2. What kind of test detemine who are at risk? What is Pre-diabetes?

There are 3 different tests that can determine whether a person has diabetes or he/she might develop type 2 diabetes.

• Blood glucose
• Oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT)
• Hemoglobin A1C(HbA1C)

All 3 tests measure blood sugar in different ways.

If a blood test shows that your blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes, then it is called”pre-diabetes”. People with pre-diabetes are at high risk of developing diabetes.

 3. How does a person get affected with type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

• Genetic causes — Many people with type 2 diabetes have a family member with either type 2 diabetes or other medical problems associated with diabetes, such as high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, or obesity

• Lifestyle factors — Eating an unhealthy diet( high carb refined food, oily food) and not getting enough exercise can lead to weight gain, which increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
• Pregnancy — A small number of pregnant women develop diabetes during pregnancy, called “gestational diabetes.” Gestational diabetes is similar to type 2 diabetes, but it usually resolves after the woman delivers her baby. Women who develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

4. What are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes usually causes no symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they include:

• Needing to urinate often,Intense thirst
• Unintended weight loss
• Blurry vision​​

5. Can diabetes lead to other health problems?

Yes, type 2 diabetes might not make you feel sick. But if it is not managed, it can lead to serious problems over time, such as:

• Heart attacks
• Strokes
• Kidney disease
• Vision problems (or even blindness)
• Pain or loss of feeling in the hands and feet(nerve damage)
• Needing to have fingers, toes, or other body parts removed (amputated)

6. Do people with diabetes have a higher chance of getting infections?

Yes. People with diabetes have a higher chance of getting certain infections, due to:

• High blood sugar – Blood sugar levels that are too high can keep a person’s infection-fighting system (called the “immune system”) from working as well as it should.
• Nerve damage – Over time, diabetes can cause nerve damage. This can lead to problems. For example, nerve damage can make people unable to feel pain in their feet. So if a person gets a cut on the foot or steps on a nail or other sharp object that pierces the skin, they might not know it. If a wound isn’t treated right away, it can become an open sore and get infected.
• If you have diabetes, it’s important to let your doctor or nurse know right away if suffering from infection.

7. When should I suspect I may have got any infection?

If person shows below symptoms then he/she is suffering from infection:

• Fever, aches, or chills
• Redness, swelling, warmth, or increased pain around a cut, scrape, or ulcer
• Pus draining from a cut, scrape, or ulcer
• Feeling the need to urinate a lot, having pain while urination, or having cloudy or bad-smelling urine
• Vaginal itching or discharge
• White patches in your mouth or on your tongue

8. Foot problems in diabetes are very common, how can we prevent it ?

Perosn having diabetes should take care of feet. This can help prevent foot infections. To protect feet one can:

• Wear shoes or slippers all the time
• Trim your toe nails carefully. Cut straight across and file the nail. Do not cut cuticles or pop blisters
• Wash your feet with warm water and soap every day and pat them dry. Put a moisturizing cream or lotion on the feet
• Check both feet every day. Look for cuts, blisters, swelling, or redness. Make sure to check all over the feet, including the bottoms of your feet and in between the toes
• Wear socks that are not too tight, and change them every day
• Wear shoes that fit well, and are not too tight
• Check inside your shoes before you put them on. Make sure there is nothing sharp inside
• Have doctor check the feet at each visit

9. What one can do to stay as healthy as possible if having diabetes?

The most important thing person can do is to control “ABCs”:

• “A” stands for “A1C” – A1C is a blood test that shows what the average blood sugar level has been during the last few months
• “B” stands for “blood pressure”
• “C” stands for “cholesterol” – Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in the blood

10. What should ABC levels be like?

The levels one should aim for will depend on how severe the diabetes is, age, and what other health problems the person may have. Many people with diabetes aim for:

• HbA1C levels below 7 percent, FBS 80-130 mg/dL, PPBS-  <180 mg/dL
• Blood pressure below 140/90, or lower in some cases
• LDL cholesterol level below 100 (LDL is one type of cholesterol, often called the “bad cholesterol” or “lousy cholesterol”)

11. How can one control the ABCs level?

Individaul may refer to doctor to work together to create a plan to keep ABCs under control. The plan might include:

Diet changes- Make healthy food choices – Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. Limit the amount of meat and fried or fatty foods that you eat.

 

Lifestyle changes-

• Be active – Walk, garden, or do something active for 30 minutes or more on most days of the week
• Quit smoking – Smoking increases the chance that you will have a heart attack or stroke, or develop cancer
• Lose weight – Being overweight increases the risk of many health problems
• Avoid alcohol – Alcohol can increase blood sugar and blood pressure
• Medicines – Most people with diabetes take medicine every day to control their blood sugar, blood pressure and blood cholesterol 

12. What is Hypoglycemia(low blood sugar)?

Symptoms of low blood sugar can include:

 

• Sweating and shaking
• Feeling hungry
• Feeling worried

 

 

Low blood sugar should be treated quickly because it can make you lose consciousness or can even lead to death if not addressed promptly.

 

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