Getting pregnant with type 1 diabetes

Sep 2nd, 2010
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If you’re a woman and are in child bearing age, having diabetes can be a horrible news. However, that should not stop you from having a baby. Many young women have had healthy babies while living with type 1 diabetes. The most important part is to make sure your blood glucose (sugar) should be close to normal and your kidneys, eyes, and blood pressure should be checked. Watch your diabetes closely everyday and live a healthy life, eat healthy meals, and exercise regularly.

Once you become pregnant, pay close attention to your diabetes and your hard work will pay off.

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In 2 diabetes, the body makes insulin but doesn’t use it the right way

Aug 13th, 2010
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Type 2 diabetes is the most common kind. It’s often called adult-onset diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, the body makes insulin but doesn’t use it the right way. People who are overweight, inactive, and have a family history of diabetes have higher chance of getting type 2 diabetes.

With this type of diabetes, sometimes people who have it don’t even know they have it. If you often feel tired, hungry, or thirsty, you might have an untreated diabetes. You may lose weight, urinate often, or have trouble with the eyes, such as blurred vision. The other symptoms include skin infections or healing slowly from cuts and bruises. Call your doctor right away if you have one or more of these symptoms.

Carefully control your weight, glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels can delay or prevent you from getting Type 2 diabetes.

Source: National Institute on Aging

Posted in: Diabetes in Older People, Type 2 Diabetes.
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How to managed diabetes with aging

Aug 9th, 2010
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We should take diabetes seriously. It is a serious disease. It is often more dangerous in older population. People get diabetes when their blood glucose level, sometimes called blood sugar, is too high. It can add more risk for older people who are already at higher risk for having a heart attack or a stroke.

However, diabetes can be controlled. And there are things you can do to lower the risks and prevent the problems that come with diabetes.  If you don’t yet have it, then you can do all you can to lower the risk of getting it.

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Eyes problem with Diabetes – diabetic eye disease

Jul 29th, 2010
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Some diabetic patients develop eye disease often called diabetic eye disease. It refers to a group of eye problems that people with diabetes may face. The diabetic eye disease is part of  the complication of diabetes. In severe cases, this eye disease can cause vision loss or even blindness.

There are three major eye diseases that are associated with diabetic eye disease:

  • Diabetic retinopathy, a damage to the blood vessels in the retina and a leading cause of blindness in the U.S.
  • Cataract – clouding of the eye’s lens. Cataracts often develop at an earlier age with diabetic patients.
  • Glaucoma – increase in fluid pressure inside the eye that can cause optic nerve damage and even loss of vision. Even though non-diabetic people can develop glaucoma also, diabetic patients are twice likely to develop them.

Source: The National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

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Diabetes Treatment: Hope through Research

May 28th, 2010
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In recent years, advances in diabetes research have led to better ways of managing diabetes and treating its complications. Major advances include

* development of quick-acting and long-acting insulins
* better ways to monitor blood glucose and for people with diabetes to check their blood glucose levels
* development of external insulin pumps that deliver insulin, replacing daily injections
* laser treatment for diabetic eye disease, reducing the risk of blindness
* successful kidney and pancreas transplantation in people whose kidneys fail because of diabetes
* better ways of managing diabetes in pregnant women, improving their chances of a successful outcome
* new drugs to treat type 1 and type 2 diabetes and better ways to manage these forms of diabetes through weight control
* evidence that intensive management of blood glucose reduces and may prevent development of diabetes complications
* demonstration that two types of antihypertensive drugs, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), are more effective than other antihypertensive drugs in reducing a decline in kidney function in people with diabetes
* advances in transplantation of islets—clusters of cells that produce insulin and other hormones—for type 1 diabetes
* evidence that people at high risk for type 2 diabetes can lower their chances of developing the disease through diet, weight loss, and physical activity

Source: National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse

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How is diabetes managed?

Apr 4th, 2010
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Before the discovery of insulin in 1921, everyone with type 1 diabetes died within a few years after diagnosis. Although insulin is not considered a cure, its discovery was the first major breakthrough in diabetes treatment.

Today, healthy eating, physical activity, and taking insulin are the basic therapies for type 1 diabetes. The amount of insulin must be balanced with food intake and daily activities. Doctors may also prescribe another type of injectable medicine. Blood glucose levels must be closely monitored through frequent blood glucose checking. People with diabetes also monitor blood glucose levels several times a year with a laboratory test called the A1C. Results of the A1C test reflect average blood glucose over a 2- to 3-month period.

Healthy eating, physical activity, and blood glucose testing are the basic management tools for type 2 diabetes. In addition, many people with type 2 diabetes require one or more diabetes medicines—pills, insulin, and other injectable medicine—to control their blood glucose levels.

Adults with diabetes are at high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). In fact, at least 65 percent of those with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke. Managing diabetes is more than keeping blood glucose levels under control—it is also important to manage blood pressure and cholesterol levels through healthy eating, physical activity, and the use of medications, if needed. By doing so, those with diabetes can lower their risk. Aspirin therapy, if recommended by a person’s health care team, and smoking cessation can also help lower risk.

People with diabetes must take responsibility for their day-to-day care. Much of the daily care involves keeping blood glucose levels from going too low or too high. When blood glucose levels drop too low—a condition known as hypoglycemia—a person can become nervous, shaky, and confused. Judgment can be impaired, and if blood glucose falls too low, fainting can occur.

A person can also become ill if blood glucose levels rise too high.

People with diabetes should see a health care provider who will help them learn to manage their diabetes and who will monitor their diabetes control. Most people with diabetes get care from primary care physicians—internists, family practice doctors, or pediatricians. Often, having a team of providers can improve diabetes care. A team can include

  • a primary care provider such as an internist, a family practice doctor, or a pediatrician
  • an endocrinologist—a specialist in diabetes care
  • a dietitian, a nurse, and other health care providers who are certified diabetes educators—experts in providing information about managing diabetes
  • a podiatrist—for foot care
  • an ophthalmologist or an optometrist—for eye care

The team can also include other health care providers, such as cardiologists and other specialists. The team for a pregnant woman with type 1, type 2, or gestational diabetes should include an obstetrician who specializes in caring for women with diabetes. The team can also include a pediatrician or a neonatologist with experience taking care of babies born to women with diabetes.

The goal of diabetes management is to keep levels of blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol as close to the normal range as safely possible. A major study, the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT), sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), showed that keeping blood glucose levels close to normal reduces the risk of developing major complications of type 1 diabetes.

This 10-year study, completed in 1993, included 1,441 people with type 1 diabetes. The study compared the effect of two treatment approaches—intensive management and standard management—on the development and progression of eye, kidney, nerve, and cardiovascular complications of diabetes. Intensive treatment aimed to keep A1C levels as close to normal—6 percent—as possible. Researchers found that study participants who maintained lower levels of blood glucose through intensive management had significantly lower rates of these complications. More recently, a follow-up study of DCCT participants showed that the ability of intensive control to lower the complications of diabetes has persisted more than 10 years after the trial ended.

The United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study, a European study completed in 1998, showed that intensive control of blood glucose and blood pressure reduced the risk of blindness, kidney disease, stroke, and heart attack in people with type 2 diabetes.

Source: National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse

Posted in: Diabetes, Diabetes Care, Type 1 Diabetes.
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Who gets diabetes?

Mar 28th, 2010
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Diabetes is not contagious. People cannot “catch” it from each other. However, certain factors can increase the risk of developing diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes occurs equally among males and females but is more common in whites than in nonwhites. Data from the World Health Organization’s Multinational Project for Childhood Diabetes indicate that type 1 diabetes is rare in most African, American Indian, and Asian populations. However, some northern European countries, including Finland and Sweden, have high rates of type 1 diabetes. The reasons for these differences are unknown. Type 1 diabetes develops most often in children but can occur at any age.

Type 2 diabetes is more common in older people, especially in people who are overweight, and occurs more often in African Americans, American Indians, some Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islander Americans, and Hispanics/Latinos. National survey data in 2007 indicate a range in the prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes in various populations ages 20 years or older:

  • Age 20 years or older: 23.5 million, or 10.7 percent, of all people in this age group have diabetes.
  • Age 60 years or older: 12.2 million, or 23.1 percent, of all people in this age group have diabetes.
  • Men: 12.0 million, or 11.2 percent, of all men ages 20 years or older have diabetes.
  • Women: 11.5 million, or 10.2 percent, of all women ages 20 years or older have diabetes.
  • Non-Hispanic whites: 14.9 million, or 9.8 percent, of all non-Hispanic whites ages 20 years or older have diabetes.
  • Non-Hispanic blacks: 3.7 million, or 14.7 percent, of all non-Hispanic blacks ages 20 years or older have diabetes.

Diabetes prevalence in the United States is likely to increase for several reasons. First, a large segment of the population is aging. Also, Hispanics/Latinos and other minority groups at increased risk make up the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. Finally, Americans are increasingly overweight and sedentary. According to recent estimates from the CDC, diabetes will affect one in three people born in 2000 in the United States. The CDC also projects that the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in the United States will increase 165 percent by 2050.

Source: National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse

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What are the scope and impact of diabetes?

Mar 21st, 2010
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Diabetes is widely recognized as one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. In 2006, it was the seventh leading cause of death. However, diabetes is likely to be underreported as the underlying cause of death on death certificates. In 2004, among people ages 65 years or older, heart disease was noted on 68 percent of diabetes-related death certificates; stroke was noted on 16 percent of diabetes-related death certificates for the same age group.

Diabetes is associated with long-term complications that affect almost every part of the body. The disease often leads to blindness, heart and blood vessel disease, stroke, kidney failure, amputations, and nerve damage. Uncontrolled diabetes can complicate pregnancy, and birth defects are more common in babies born to women with diabetes.

In 2007, diabetes cost the United States $174 billion. Indirect costs, including disability payments, time lost from work, and reduced productivity, totaled $58 billion. Direct medical costs for diabetes care, including hospitalizations, medical care, and treatment supplies, totaled $116 billion.

Source: National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse

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What is pre-diabetes?

Mar 17th, 2010
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People with pre-diabetes have blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. This condition raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

Pre-diabetes is also called impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), depending on the test used to diagnose it. Some people have both IFG and IGT.

  • IFG is a condition in which the blood glucose level is high—100 to 125 mg/dL—after an overnight fast, but is not high enough to be classified as diabetes. The former definition of IFG was 110 mg/dL to 125 mg/dL.
  • IGT is a condition in which the blood glucose level is high—140 to 199 mg/dL—after a 2-hour OGTT, but is not high enough to be classified as diabetes.

Pre-diabetes is becoming more common in the United States. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that at least 57 million U.S. adults ages 20 or older had pre-diabetes in 2007. Those with pre-diabetes are likely to develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years, unless they take steps to prevent or delay diabetes.

The good news is that people with pre-diabetes can do a lot to prevent or delay diabetes. Studies have clearly shown that people can lower their risk of developing diabetes by losing 5 to 7 percent of their body weight through diet and increased physical activity. A major study of more than 3,000 people with IGT found that diet and exercise resulting in a 5 to 7 percent weight loss—about 10 to 14 pounds in a person who weighs 200 pounds—lowered the incidence of type 2 diabetes by nearly 60 percent. Study participants lost weight by cutting fat and calories in their diet and by exercising—most chose walking—at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.

Source: National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse

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How is diabetes diagnosed?

Mar 11th, 2010
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The fasting blood glucose test is the preferred test for diagnosing diabetes in children and nonpregnant adults. The test is most reliable when done in the morning. However, a diagnosis of diabetes can be made based on any of the following test results, confirmed by retesting on a different day:

  • A blood glucose level of 126 milli grams per deciliter (mg/dL) or higher after an 8-hour fast. This test is called the fasting blood glucose test.
  • A blood glucose level of 200 mg/dL or higher 2 hours after drinking a beverage containing 75 grams of glucose dissolved in water. This test is called the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
  • A random—taken at any time of day—blood glucose level of 200 mg/dL or higher, along with the presence of diabetes symptoms.

Gestational diabetes is diagnosed based on blood glucose levels measured during the OGTT. Glucose levels are normally lower during pregnancy, so the cutoff levels for diagnosis of diabetes in pregnancy are lower. Blood glucose levels are measured before a woman drinks a beverage containing glucose. Then levels are checked 1, 2, and 3 hours afterward. If a woman has two blood glucose levels meeting or exceeding any of the following numbers, she has gestational diabetes: a fasting blood glucose level of 95 mg/dL, a 1-hour level of 180 mg/dL, a 2-hour level of 155 mg/dL, or a 3-hour level of 140 mg/dL.

Source: National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse

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