Diabetes: How to manage it like a pro!

Is your diabetes diagnosis getting you down? Keeping just a few key aspects in mind, you can make diabetes management easier on yourself and your loved ones. Learn what is diabetes, its causes, symptoms, complications, and the best diabetes treatment options you have.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when your blood sugar level is too high. This condition develops when your pancreas do not make enough insulin or do not produce any insulin at all. It also occurs when your body fails to make good use of the insulin it produces.

Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose get into cells to be used as energy. When your body doesn’t produce insulin, glucose gets accumulated in your blood causing high blood sugar levels. There are three main types of diabetes. These are type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes.

Types of diabetes

Explained below are the common types of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes

This type of diabetes is said to be caused by an autoimmune reaction where the body mistakenly attacks its own cells. This leads your body to stop producing insulin. A type 1 diabetes diagnosis is mostly seen in children, teens, and young adults. Those suffering from it need insulin every day for survival. There is no known diabetes treatment or prevention for type 1 diabetes. It can only be managed by making dietary changes, taking insulin, and reducing stress. Type 1 diabetes is not as common as type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes

This occurs when your body does not produce enough insulin or does not use the insulin well. This is the most common type of diabetes. A type 2 diabetes diagnosis is mostly seen in adults as it takes years to develop, but it can be diagnosed at any age. Unlike type 1, type 2 diabetes can be prevented with lifestyle and dietary changes. It is important for you to check your blood sugar levels if you experience any diabetes symptoms.

Gestational diabetes

This occurs in pregnant women. It may develop even if you have never had diabetes before. This type of diabetes increases the risk of health problems in babies. Gestational diabetes may subside after the baby is born. But there may be an increased risk of the mother developing type 2 diabetes in the future. Similarly, the baby is also likely to develop type 2 diabetes in the later years of life. There are also possibilities that the baby may become obese during childhood or teen life.

Prediabetes

Many people have prediabetes but do not know it. This occurs when your blood sugar levels increase to a degree that is higher than what is normal. But they are not high enough for you to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. People with prediabetes are at risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes treatment involves taking steps to change your lifestyle.

Causes of diabetes

Mentioned below are some of the causes of diabetes or diabetes risk factors that you can keep in mind.

Causes of type 1 diabetes

• Autoimmune reaction

  Type 1 diabetes occurs when your body’s defence system mistakenly attacks and destroys insulin-producing beta cells.

• Genes

  Researchers believe that your genes also play a role in putting you at risk of type 1 diabetes.

• Environmental factors

  Several factors such as contracting certain viruses can trigger type 1 diabetes.

Causes of type 2 diabetes

• Resistance to insulin
• Genes and family history
• Being obese or overweight
• Physical inactivity
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Prediabetes
• High blood pressure
• High blood triglyceride levels
• Excessive intake of alcohol
• High fats or diet rich in carbohydrates
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• If you had an organ transplant
• Being older or over the age of 45
• Low level of good or HDL cholesterol

Complication in diabetes

You may experience several complications in diabetes if you don’t follow an effective diabetes management routine.

Here are some complications of diabetes:

• Eye disease
• Foot problems
• Heart disease and stroke
• High blood pressure
• Kidney disease
• Nerve problems
• Skin conditions
• Certain cancers
• Sexual and bladder problems
• Gum disease and other dental problems

Diabetes symptoms

The symptoms of the various types of diabetes differ. Here are some of the common diabetes symptoms for type 1 and type 2 diabetes:

• Urinating a lot, mostly at night
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Extreme hunger
• Blurred vision
• Dry skin
• Increased thirst
• Unexplained weight loss
• Excessive tiredness
• Slow-healing sores
• Frequent infections
• Ketones in the urine
• Numbness and tingling hands or feet

Diabetes treatment

Diabetes treatment involves the following:

• Eating a healthy diet
• Exercising and being physically active
• Monitoring blood sugar levels
• Insulin therapy
• Oral medication
• Pancreas transplant
• Bariatric surgery

Explore our Diabetes section to understand the diabetes risk factors you may be prone to and the types of diabetes in detail. Whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, our resources will help you gain insight and help in better diabetes management. To track your sugar levels and your diabetes treatment, you should get blood tests done regularly. Now you can book such tests and packages affordably and with ease on Bajaj Finserv Health.

For expert advice on diabetes treatment, book an appointment with the best diabetologists on Bajaj Finserv Health. You may also sign up for Aarogya Care health plans to protect your family members from the medical expenses arising out of pre-existing diseases. With these plans, you can enjoy benefits like preventive health checkups, reimbursements on doctor consultations, networks discounts, and more.