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Diabetes
What is diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus is a disease that does not allow your body to use the energy from the food that you eat. Sugar from your food gets converted to energy only in the presence of insulin. In this condition either your body doesn't make enough insulin or it can't use the insulin that it produces.
Types of Diabetes :
Type 1 diabetes occurs when your immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. Researchers now believe that type 1 diabetes causes may include genes and environmental triggers, such as viruses.
Type 2 diabetes is more common and is caused by hereditary and lifestyle factors.
Diabetes Risk Factors:
- People who are not physically active or are overweight are at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Excessive belly fat has been found to be linked with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
- Family history of diabetes may increase your risks.
- If you had diabetes when you were pregnant, you may become a diabetes patient.
Signs & Symptoms of Diabetes :
Type 2 diabetes often begins with insulin resistance, when muscle, liver, and fat cells do not use glucose well. The body then needs more insulin to help glucose enter the cells. At first, the pancreas makes more insulin, but over time it cannot, so blood glucose levels rise.
Diabetes symptoms could include any of the following:
- Fatigue.
- Increased hunger and thirst.
- Frequent urination.
- Blurred vision.
- Numbness or tingling in the feet or hands.
- Sores that do not heal.
- Unexplained weight loss.
- In men, there may be decreased sex drive and erectile dysfunction (ED).
- In women, diabetes may cause urinary tract infection (UTI).
Diagnosis for Diabetes:
The diabetes specialist at Medcare will diagnose diabetes through a blood test. If you are experiencing any symptoms, or if you have risk factors for the disease, then you should discuss with a diabetes specialist and get yourself tested.
Diabetes Treatment in Dubai & Sharjah:
At Medcare, you will be given the best diabetes treatment based on your condition and diabetes level and type. Treatment depends on your diabetes type.
Type 1 diabetes usually requires the patient to take insulin, possibly small and steady doses throughout the day.
Type 2 diabetes patients can be treated with medication and/or insulin injections.
Diabetes FAQs:
Diabetes FAQs:
Inclusions:
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Can I prevent type 2 diabetes?
A: If your doctor tells you that you have prediabetes, or if you have the risk factors for the disease, then you can start making lifestyle changes to prevent it. A low-fat and high-fibre diet, regular exercise and keeping your weight under control are the most important steps that you can take. Discuss a good diabetes diet with your doctor and dietician at Medcare.
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What is prediabetes?
A: Your blood test results may show that your blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not as high as a diabetes patient. The doctor may advise you to take care so that you don’t get the condition.
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What kinds of exercise are best for diabetes prevention or management?
A: Aerobic exercise and strength training are the best for managing diabetes. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate or vigorous aerobic exercise at least five times a week.
Strength training helps to lower blood sugar and also prevents muscle loss that is a common outcome of diabetes. -
How should I check my blood sugar level?
A: Monitoring your blood sugar is an important aspect of managing diabetes. You can check it on your own using blood glucose meter.
Your diabetes specialist will also suggest an A1C test done by a lab at a certain frequency. This test indicates what your blood sugar levels have been for the past 2-3 months. -
What are the early signs of diabetes?
A: Some of the early signs of diabetes are exhaustion (you feel tired more quickly), increased hunger and a rise in blood sugar levels.
Frequent urination and increased thirst are also common and interlinked with symptoms of diabetes. This is because you urinate more often due to disrupted kidney function, resulting in your body losing more fluids, eventually causing dehydration. This, in turn, causes excessive thirst, dry mouth and itchy skin.
Apart from this, people with higher diabetes levels experience symptoms like weight loss or gain, blurred vision, slow healing of wounds and even skin infections.
If you experience any of these signs, book an appointment with a Medcare Diabetes Specialist today.
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Can I have diabetes and not know it?
A: In some cases, signs of diabetes can be so mild that you may easily miss them; this especially holds true for Type 2 diabetes. Both types of diabetes – Type 1 and Type 2 – have a few similar telltale signs, but they are often hard to track.
Moreover, they are similar to signs of ageing or side effects of medicines. For instance, diabetic people have dry skin or need to urinate frequently. But these are also associated with old age, and it can be misleading if the person is advancing in age.
Additionally, a diabetic person’s body can still produce some insulin, though not enough of it. This makes diagnosing the condition correctly a bit difficult.
Need an accurate diagnosis and treatment for diabetes? Book an appointment with a Medcare diabetes specialist today.
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How we can control diabetes without medicine?
A: If you have diabetes, you can control the condition without taking medicines by making a few lifestyle changes. The very first step is to include more physical activity into your routine, which will help to stabilise your blood sugar levels.
Secondly, eat a well-balanced diet; this includes beans, lean meat, fish, low or non-fat dairy products and citrus fruits. Lastly, learn to control your stress level as it can increase your blood sugar and make you less sensitive to insulin. Drinking and smoking are also habits that must be curbed for an all-round healthier lifestyle.
Need to manage diabetes effectively and successfully? Book an appointment with a Medcare diabetes specialist today.
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Can diabetes be cured?
A: While diabetes has no cure, you can go into “remission,” which means that diabetes is technically still present, but the body does not show any signs of it. Remission can take three forms: partial, complete and prolonged.
Partial remission is said to occur when the blood glucose level is kept below that of a regular diabetic patient's level without the use of medications for at least a year. Complete remission occurs when blood glucose level stays normal for a year without any medications. Lastly, when complete remission lasts for at least five years, it is called prolonged remission.
Additionally, since diabetes is a lifestyle disorder, it can be controlled by making lifestyle changes such as eating and exercising as per doctor's recommendations.
Need treatment for diabetes? Book an appointment with a Medcare diabetes specialist today.
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Can you live a long life with diabetes?
A: Diabetics can have a long life if their blood sugar level is kept under control, and there are no complications.
Blood pressure and cholesterol should also be kept at healthy levels. To achieve this, you must maintain a strict dietary regimen involving healthy, timely eating; controlled calorie intake, healthy sleep habits, frequent exercises, and most importantly, manage your stress – both professional and personal.
Studies have shown that people with Type 1 diabetes have lived a long life – to around an age of 85 years and more. There has also been a significant improvement in life expectancy rates for people with Type 1 diabetes born later in the 20th century.
Need effective management for diabetes? Book an appointment with a Medcare diabetes specialist today.
