Diabetes is a chronic health condition in which the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to fulfill its needs, resulting in abnormally high blood sugar levels. Untreated high blood sugar from diabetes may cause blood vessel damage, which could lead to heart attack or stroke, chronic renal disease, and eyesight loss may occur. When there are such risks to your health, it’s important that it is detected early and you are immediately treated by a good diabetes doctor. At icareheal, we provide you with the best website for doctors to connect with the right doctors and clinics to help with your health issues. It will definitely be your go to app for doctors who will surely be helpful in your journey for betterment.
What are the Symptoms of Diabetes?
Although the symptoms vary based on the type of diabetes, many of them are similar, especially in the beginning phases. One major difference is the speed of onset of the various symptoms in type 1 diabetes, which is higher than that of type 2.
Fatigue: Since insulin is necessary to help absorb the glucose in the blood, and in diabetics, insulin is either not produced or unutilized by the body, there is not enough glucose to provide energy to the cells. While the blood sugar levels are high in such patients, they tend to suffer fatigue since there is little uptake of the glucose available by the cells.
Hunger: Despite eating larger quantities, it is likely that patients with diabetes will suffer hunger pangs since the body does not register the nutrition due to lack of processing of the sugar. Diabetics are very often hungry and tired despite regular meals, and this is an indication of a lack of insulin function in the body.
Frequent urination: Since blood sugar is high in cases of diabetes, the body’s renal system is unable to reabsorb much of the water during the digestive process. This causes much of the water to be pushed out as urine, and thus raising the urge to urinate at frequent intervals. The number of times a diabetic has to urinate may often be double or more than the average person without diabetes. It is best not to ignore such a symptom as most often it’s a definitive sign of diabetes.
Thirst: Frequent urination causes the diabetic body to lose water more quickly, thus making the patient perpetually thirsty. Continuous thirst is a typical sign of either renal malfunction or of diabetes, and must not be ignored. It is more concerning if the condition does not subside after some time and is present in a relatively healthy individual.
Blurred vision: Long-term effects of diabetes include blurred vision and often glaucoma. Due to the body’s inability to retain fluids and become dehydrated causes the shape of the lens to change, thus blurring a patient’s vision.
Weight loss: Despite regular meals, the body may be unable to utilize nutrition and may start to burn fat in the absence of sugar. This can lead to unhealthy weight loss problems and is often seen in juvenile diabetics.
How is Hypertension related to Diabetes?
High blood pressure, or hypertension, often occurs alongside diabetes and obesity. Together, these conditions fall under the umbrella of metabolic syndrome. People with metabolic syndrome are at an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases.
Hypertension and diabetes share a number of common causes and risk factors. A person who has one condition is at an increased risk for developing the other. Likewise, a person who has both conditions may find that each condition worsens the other.
Several studies have concluded that diabetes and hypertension often occur together and may share some common causes. These include:
- sedentary lifestyle with excessive calorie intake
- Obesity
- Inflammation
- oxidative stress
- insulin resistance
Can diabetes cause hypertension?
A person with diabetes either does not have enough insulin to process glucose or their insulin does not work effectively. Insulin is the hormone that enables the body to process glucose from food and use it as energy.
When a person has insulin problems, glucose cannot enter their cells to provide energy, so it accumulates in the bloodstream instead.
High blood glucose levels can cause widespread damage to tissues and organs, including those that play a key role in maintaining healthy blood pressure. For example, damage to the blood vessels and kidneys can cause blood pressure to rise.
Do people with diabetes have higher rates of hypertension?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that around 47%Trusted Source of adults in the United States have hypertension or are taking medication to manage the condition.
By comparison, the ADA states that 2 in 3 people with diabetes either report hypertension or are taking prescription medication to lower their blood pressure.
The above statistics suggest that people with diabetes have higher rates of hypertension compared to the general population.
Treatment of Diabetes
Different types of diabetic conditions require different treatment methods. The methods are often customized depending on the family history of diabetes, the patient’s overall health, and financial considerations. Diet and lifestyle changes are a major part of the regimen required for the treatment of diabetes, in addition to medication. It
Treatment of diabetes also requires continued monitoring of blood sugar levels and keeping them to levels recommended by a medical specialist along with lifestyle changes. The diet regimen prevents the rapid fluctuations in the blood sugar levels and allows the body to maintain steady levels of glucose in the body, making it easier for the medication to take effect. If type 1 diabetes is suspected by a doctor, it means that the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin to metabolize blood sugar, and insulin intake through injections or an insulin pump is required. Depending upon complete diagnosis, the patient may use one or a combination of rapid-acting, regular (short-acting), intermediate acting, long-acting or ultra-long-acting insulin doses. This treatment is also accompanied by exercise, overall lifestyle changes, and dietary modification. This type of diabetes requires monitoring of blood sugar levels several times a day to ensure steady levels and call for assistance in aggravated conditions, or determine the type of insulin intake in case a combination has been prescribed.
Medication for type 2 diabetes may become necessary at an advanced stage; however, in many diabetics, a combination of diet and active lifestyle choices are enough to treat the condition. The medicines work in different ways and include those that increase insulin production in the pancreas, decrease sugar absorption in the intestines, increase insulin efficiency, decrease sugar production by affecting liver function, those that prevent reabsorption of sugar by the renal system or synthetic insulin injections. Very often, a combination of these drugs is used to treat diabetic conditions in patients, and a number of drugs are available in each of the above categories.
Your diabetes doctor will guide you through the process of proper detection, diagnosis, and treatment of your diabetes. It is therefore important to find the right doctor who will be able to help you throughout your time and try to understand you and your illness to provide the right solutions.
