Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects your body. When you eat,your body breaks down food into sugar and releases it into your bloodstream. When your blood sugar goes up, it send message to your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is require to let the blood sugar
into your body’s cells for use as energy.
How Insulin work into your body If you have diabetes, your body either does not make enough insulin or can not use the insulin it makes as well as it should work. When there is not enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays into your bloodstream. Thiscan cause serious health problemssuch as heart disease, nerve damage, vision loss, and kidney disease.
However, if you have diabetes, this process doesn’t work properly. There are a few reasons why this happens leading to different types of diabetes.
Types of Diabetes:
There are three main types of diabetes.
- Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition. This means that the body’s immune system, which usually fight from infections but mistakenly attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. As a result, the pancreas can not make enough insulin. Without insulin, glucose can’t come into the cells and builds up in the bloodstream.
People with Type 1 diabetes need to take insulin everyday to live. This type of diabetes is commonly diagnosed in children and young adultsalthough it can appear at any age.
- Type 2 Diabetes
This is the most common form of diabetes. It typically develops in adults, but it is increasingly seen in children, teens, and young adults due to rising obesity rates.
In Type 2 diabetes, the body can not make enough insulin. This means the body’s cells do not respond to insulin as they should do. Sometimes, the pancreas can’t make enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels normal. When glucose can’t enter into the cells, it comes in the blood.
There are manyreasons for the development of Type 2 diabetes, Including genetics, lack of exercise, and being overweight or Obesity.
- Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy. Even if a woman has never had diabetes before pregnancy. Hormonal changes during pregnancy can cause high blood sugar levels. However, it can increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life for both of them.
Symptoms of Diabetes
The symptoms of diabetes can vary depending on how much your blood sugar is raised. Some common signs include:
- Frequent urination
- Increased thirst
- Extreme hunger
- weight loss
- Fatigue
- Blurred vision
- Slow-healing sores
- skin infections and vaginal infections
How is diabetes diagnosed?
Doctorsdiagnose diabetes by checking your glucose level in a blood test. These tests can measure your blood glucose level are given below
- Fasting blood glucose test: For this testyou can not eat or drink anything except water for at least eight hours before this test. As food can greatly affect blood sugar, this test allows your doctor to see your baseline blood sugar.
- Random blood glucose test: “Random” means that you can get this test at any time when your are not on fasting
- HemoglobinA1c Test: This test, also called HbA1C or glycated hemoglobin test provides your average blood glucose level over the past two to three months.
- Oral glucose tolerance Test: To screen for and to diagnose gestational diabetesrequired oral glucose tolerance test.
The following test results typically indicate if you don’t have diabetes, have prediabetes or have diabetes. These values may vary slightly.
Managing Diabetes: Living with diabetes requires constant management to keep blood sugar levels within a healthy range. Here are some key aspects of managing diabetes:
- Monitoring Blood Sugar
Regular blood sugar testing is necessary. It helps you understand how different foods, activities, healthy diet and medications affect your blood sugar levels.
- Eat Healthy
A balanced diet is necessary for managing diabetes. Focus on eating a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, proteins, and healthy fats. It is also necessary to manage carbohydrate intake because carbohydrates can increase blood sugar levels.
- Physical Activity
Regular physical activity helps your body use insulin more efficiently and lowers blood sugar levels.Activities like walking, cycling, swimming, and strength training are beneficial.
- Oral diabetes medications:
Oral diabetes medications help manage blood sugar levels in people who have diabetes but still produce some insulin.Typically people with Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. People with gestational diabetes may also require oral medication.
- Insulin:
People with Type 1 diabetes need to inject insulin to manage diabetes. Some patient with Type 2 diabetes also require insulin. There are different types of synthetic insulin. They each start to work at different speeds and last into your body for different period of time. There are four main ways that you can take insulin include injectable insulin with a syringe, insulin pens, insulin pumps and rapid-acting inhaled insulin.
- Regular Check-ups
Regular visits to your healthcare provider are essential. They will monitor your blood sugar levels, adjust your treatment plan as needed, and check for any complications that may arise.
Complications of Diabetes
If diabetes is not managed properly, it can lead to severe health problems such as:
- Heart disease and stroke
- Kidney disease
- Eye problems, including blindness
- Nerve damage, which can lead to pain, tingling, and loss of feeling
Foot problems, which can lead to serious infections and even
- amputation
- Eye disease
Conclusion
Diabetes is a chronic condition that requires careful management. Understanding how diabetes affects your body and learning how to manage your blood sugar levels can help you lead a healthy active life. With the right care and lifestyle changes, people with diabetes can live long, fulfilling lives. Regular medical care, a healthy diet, physical activity, and medication or insulin therapy are all essential components of effective diabetes management.
