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Diabetes Mellitus: What you need to know in 5 questions and answers
May
Specialist Pathologist-Diabetologist Angelos Kleitsas shares with you information and interesting news regarding your health...
What is diabetes mellitus?
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease, characterized by high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood.
This happens because the pancreas produces less or no insulin – the hormone that plays a major role in the metabolism of carbohydrates (sugars) – or uses insulin in an ineffective way.
This results in an increase in blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) and impaired glucose metabolism. This occurs either as a result of reduced insulin secretion or due to a decrease in the sensitivity of the body's cells to the action of insulin.
How is diabetes diagnosed?
Diabetes is considered a "silent" disease as it does not always manifest with any symptoms in its early stages. As a result, its diagnosis is made after a long period of time when high sugar levels have caused damage to various parts of the body.
Its diagnosis is based on the results of blood laboratory tests of glucose levels either in a random examination or on the appearance of some classic symptoms: polydipsia, polyuria, sudden weight loss, dry mouth, reduced endurance, severe fatigue, polyphagia, and blurred vision.
The laboratory tests required for diagnosis are:
- Fasting plasma glucose measurement
- Postprandial glucose measurement
- Sugar curve measurement
- Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) measurement
Each test has a different value for pathological hyperglycemia and therefore it is necessary to confirm it with a second test.
Regular laboratory testing can lead to faster diagnosis and better treatment of the disease.
Which people should be screened for diabetes mellitus?
Risk factors for developing prediabetes or type 2 diabetes include:
- Blood glucose values outside normal limits
- Age over 45 years
- Family history of diabetes regardless of age
- Overweight or obesity
- A sedentary lifestyle combined with infrequent physical exercise
- High blood pressure
- Low levels of "good" (HDL) cholesterol in the blood
- High blood triglycerides
- Diabetes during pregnancy
- Polycystic ovary syndrome
- History of heart, brain or lower limb diseases
- Certain skin conditions such as acanthosis nigricans
Finally, the category includes people who belong to high-risk ethnic groups such as Latinos, Hispanics, African Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Asian Americans.
Is there a way to prevent it?
Considering risk factors, the first step to prevention is to know what risk we have of developing diabetes.
Clearly there are factors for which we cannot do anything to prevent the disease, which is basically true in the case of type 1 diabetes.
However, knowledge of the above in combination with taking certain measures, such as preventive screening and adopting a healthier lifestyle, can help in this direction.
How is it treated?
Diabetes is a disease that we must learn to live with, as its outcome is essentially in our own hands. Some "rules" that we must keep in mind:
- We learn to eat right: We follow a healthy, balanced, Mediterranean diet. Studies show that people who followed a diet rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates improved their blood sugar control by 95%.
- We put physical exercise into our lives: Exercising - if not daily - 3 to 4 times a week (walking briskly for half an hour a day is enough), can prove to be life-saving for our health.
- We measure our own blood sugar: In addition to the regular microbiological tests that are recommended, it is important to know that we should check our blood sugar at regular intervals at home ourselves, note the values, and then give them the results during visits to our diabetologist.
- We are losing weight: Weight loss is very important both to eliminate the possibility of developing diabetes and to control the outcome of the disease if it does eventually occur.
- We keep our pressure low: We follow our doctor's instructions to keep it at the desired levels.
- We check our lipid values (triglycerides, cholesterol): If the lipid values in our blood are higher than the desired values, our doctor will guide us regarding the specific medication we should take.
- We don't neglect the check-up: Regular monitoring by our diabetologist, 4 times a year, in combination with performing the tests that he will recommend, are very important for the good regulation and course of diabetes.
Diabetes Mellitus: What you need to know in 5 questions and answers
