What is diabetes?

The body of a diabetic stops making insulin or is unable to produce or utilize it adequately. Blood sugar levels rise as a consequence, causing a variety of symptoms and problems. Insulin is required for the digestion of glucose and its entry into the body’s cells, where it supplies energy. People with type 1 diabetes don’t create any insulin because their immune system has attacked and damaged the insulin-producing cells in their pancreas. In Type 2 and gestational diabetes patients they either don’t produce enough insulin or can’t use it efficiently.

What are common symptoms of diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes is usually manifested at younger age and detected later after many years. Type 2 diabetes develops over a period of years and spikes at a stage. Thus, it becomes important to be careful and note every change taking place in the body in order to avoid future complications. Some of the common symptoms can be noted as follows:

1.      Blurred vision

2.      Fatigue

3.      Increased hunger and thirst

4.      Frequent urination

5.      Sores that do not heal

6.      Weight loss

7.      Numbness in hands and feet

Even though there are some noted symptoms, there is a need to undergo a glucose test or hemoglobin A1c test. If results are above normal range, you may have diabetes and need to regulate it. If the blood sugar levels are constantly high, it may lead to some serious complications.

What are complications associated with diabetes? How do I know if I have diabetic complications?

If the sugar levels are high, the condition is known as hyperglycemia, which is toxic to the body. This leads to further complications like:

1.      Undergo HbA1c blood test: Blood sugar levels that are either high or too low are associated with the majority of diabetic problems. An A1c blood test is one of the most important ways to make sure your blood sugar levels aren’t out of whack.

2.      Cholesterol and blood pressure test: It’s important to keep an eye on the things that may lead to severe heart diseases. Thus, it is recommended to keep blood pressure in check along with blood samples in order to check LDL cholesterol and triglycerides levels.

3.      Foot exams: Peripheral diabetic neuropathy is nerve damage that causes discomfort or loss of feeling in your legs and arms as a result of high blood sugar levels. This can cause ulcers on your feet, which can get infected. Diabetes can also reduce circulation in your feet, making infection healing more difficult. The health consultant checks these problems once a year by tapping on feet with a tool similar to a nylon hairbrush bristle or prick feet with a needle. No feeling in feet may indicate nerve damage.

4.      Eye exams: The retina, lens, optic nerve, and vitreous gel can all be damaged by high blood sugar levels. Diabetic eye disease, also known as diabetic retinopathy, is a condition that can cause visual impairment and irreversible vision loss. You’ll get a dilated eye exam when you’re initially diagnosed with diabetes and every 1 to 2 years after that to check for symptoms of eye impairment.

Your health consultant will place drops in your eyes to temporarily dilate your pupils for this test. Then they examine your retina and optic nerves with a powerful magnification lens. They’ll check your eye pressure, side vision, and distance vision, among other things.

5.      Kidney disease test: Millions of microscopic blood artery clusters (glomeruli) filter waste from your blood in the kidneys. This sensitive filtration mechanism can be harmed by diabetes. Renal failure or irreversible end-stage kidney disease can result from severe damage, necessitating dialysis or a kidney transplant.

To check kidney disease, blood and urine is tested once a year. If a person has high blood pressure and heart disease, kidney tests are recommended quite often. The urine is tested for albumin content which is a protein that can end up in urine if the kidney is damaged. The blood is tested for glomerular filtration rate (GFR), which measures the functioning of the kidney.

6.      Tooth and gum exams: Diabetes can dry up your mouth and cause sugar levels in your saliva to rise. Both stimulate the build-up of plaque (bad bacteria) on your teeth. Plaque left untreated can cause dental decay, gum disease (gingivitis), periodontitis, and tooth loss over time. So keep an eye out for indicators of gum disease, such as swollen, painful, or bleeding gums, and schedule a cleaning and examination with your dentist twice a year.

7.      Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) urine test: When your cells don’t obtain enough glucose, they start burning fat for energy, resulting in the formation of ketones. High ketone levels indicate that your diabetes has become uncontrollable or that you are becoming ill. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a potentially fatal diabetes complication, can result from this.

If you have any of the following symptoms, your doctor may advise you to take a sample of your urine at home and assess ketone levels using a particular test strip.

·         Your blood sugar levels are abnormally high (typically greater than 240 mg/dl).

·         You’re ill.

·         You experience symptoms of DKA, such as a dry mouth and a constant urge to pee. 

8.      Thyroid test: Hypothyroidism is a disorder connected to diabetes. When you have it, your thyroid gland produces insufficient amounts of hormones that regulate your metabolism. Your doctor will take a sample of your blood every 5 years to examine your thyroid hormone levels to see whether this is the case.

9.      Gastro-intestinal system test: Gastroparesis is a kind of diabetic complication induced by prolonged high blood sugar levels. If you have symptoms like feeling full after eating a little quantity of food or vomiting undigested food, your doctor may prescribe testing. One or more of the following tests may be required:

·         Endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract

·         Series of the upper gastrointestinal tract

·         Scintigraphy of gastric emptying

·         Smart-Pill

·         Breath test for gastric emptying

Thus, it becomes important to get regular check-ups and consultation with doctors from time to time, in order to avoid further complications and take preventive measures at an early stage.

To get proper consultation from an expert who has served more than 15 years in curing and reversing diabetes, Call us at +91 888 47 22267 or visit Diabetes Reversal Clinic.