This is a chronic disease characterized by a decrease in insulin production and / or resistance to its action. The 2 most common types are type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes, but there are also insipidus and gestational types.
The diagnosis is determined when through a common blood test it is confirmed that insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that should take sugar into the cells to be used as an energy source, is not produced or used by the body properly, thus accumulating the blood sugar.
This disease affects both men and women of any race, although it is even more common in more mature or elderly individuals.
Symptoms of diabetes
The characteristic symptoms are:
- Very thirsty; Increased urge to urinate; Thinness, despite not dieting and eating the same way; Very hungry; Poor healing; Tiredness and poor circulation.
Learn to recognize the first symptoms in children, adolescents and adults.
Decompensation causes not only an increase in blood sugar, but also disturbances in the metabolism of fats and proteins. Complications can be diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar syndrome and hyper or hypoglycemia.
Tests that identify diabetes
The test that determines whether an individual is diabetic or not is the examination of the glycemic curve, performed on an empty stomach and also after the ingestion of an extremely sweet substance for the test. In this case, the reference values after 2 hours are:
- Normal: less than 140 mg / dl; Decreased glucose tolerance: between 140 and 199 mg / dl; Diabetes: 200 mg / dl or more.
The individual is considered pre-diabetic when the values of this test are between 140 and 199 ml / dl and he must have the same care oriented to diabetics, such as avoiding without eating for more than 4 hours and not eating sweets or carbohydrates, because these can easily develop diabetic conditions. If you follow the recommendations, you may not develop the disease.
Diabetes can also develop in pregnancy, but it does not always affect the fetus and tends to disappear in the postpartum period. But when complications arise, the baby may develop hypoglycemia soon after birth and is at a greater risk of suffering from the disease in adulthood. When the woman is diabetic and then decides to get pregnant, it is recommended that she have her blood glucose checked for at least 6 months before starting to try to get pregnant, to reduce the chances of the baby suffering from any malformation.
Treatment
The treatment for type 1 diabetes, in which the individual has not produced insulin since childhood or from adolescence, is based on the administration of insulin and the control of blood glucose. In the case of type 2 diabetes, a well-balanced and well-balanced diet is often sufficient to maintain blood glucose and control the course of the disease.
This disease has no cure and must be controlled daily to avoid more serious complications such as problems with vision, diabetic foot or infertility for example. The practice of regular and moderate intensity exercises is strongly recommended to keep the diabetic compensated.
Watch the following video and see the exercises you can do for diabetes:
