Causes And Symptoms Of Diabetes

Are you scared of getting diabetes? Has any close relative or loved one fallen victim to Diabetes?

Do you know how it feels to be affected by diabetes? Do you know the symptoms and preventions? Keep reading to know more.

If you want to know about diabetes, how it feels to be affected, symptoms, prevention, treatment, and more then this article is a good guide for you. Here is the content:

Content

• What is Diabetes

• Types of Diabetes

• Causes of diabetes

• Symptoms of diabetes

• Diagnosis and tests

• Management and treatment

• Prevention

• Living with diabetes

• Complications of diabetes

Knowing about diabetes is part of the key principles of preventing it with a healthy lifestyle.

Let me take you through a brief description to have prior knowledge about impending topics.

What Is Diabetes?

Is any family member dying of diabetes? Do you want to know what diabetes is? To answer that question read on.

Diabetes is a disease that affects a person when the blood glucose or sugar level goes high, either due to insufficient production of insulin or the body’s inability to effectively use insulin.

What is Glucose? Someone may ask. In response, Glucose is the body’s main source of energy.

When it is low, it is a problem and when it is high too it is a problem. It needs to be balanced.

What Is Insulin?

It is the function of Insulin to regulate the glucose in the blood of a person. Insulin is a hormone.

I was having a conversation with an elderly person who is having diabetes and before then I didn’t know that Diabetes has types.

However, from my conversation with him, he made me aware of the types of diabetes and told me he had type 2 diabetes.

He gave me more details which I’m about to share with you at no cost. Here we go:

Types Of Diabetes

According to the man and my research the types of Diabetes are as follows:

Type 1 Diabetes

According to the man and result from my research I found out that Type 1 Diabetes comes as a result of the immune system attacking and destroying the insulin that produces beta cells in the pancreas.

Symptoms Of Type 1 Diabetes

Some symptoms you will experience having Type 1 diabetes are:

• Feeling fatigued and week

• Frequent urination

• Blurred vision

• Feeling very hungry even while you eat enough

• Weight loss and more
  

Now let me take you through the next type of diabetes which is :

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes develops when a person’s body becomes resistant to insulin hence making the pancreas unable to produce enough insulin to balance it.

Symptoms Of Type 2 Diabetes

Below are some symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes:

• Feeling thirsty for a short while after drinking enough water

• Slow wound healing

• Tiredness

• Frequent night urination

• Weight loss

• Blurred vision and more

Gestational Diabetes

This type of diabetes got me wondering. I felt pity for our mothers and potential mothers. Do you know why? This is why.

Gestational Diabetes only occurs in women during pregnancy.

It affects the blood sugar levels of a pregnant woman even if she did not have diabetes before the pregnancy.

Now do you understand why I said I pity our mothers? This type of diabetes needs to be carefully monitored.

This type of diabetes normally occurs in pregnant women in the United States.

 Now having known the types of Diabetes, let us now move on to the causes of Diabetes. Here we go:

Causes Of Diabetes

Nothing happens or occurs for no reason. There is an adage that goes “There is no smoke without fire” and that is true. You can get diabetes without a course. The causes include:

• Genetic Factors

• Lifestyle Factors

• Autoimmune Response

Genetic Factors

One major cause of diabetes is Genetic factors such as family history of diabetes.

If your parents or any related family member have a chain of diabetes, the probability of you getting it is very high.

Lifestyle Factors

This is a conscious effort. Unhealthy dieting, a sedentary lifestyle, and obesity also increase your risk of diabetes, especially Type 2 Diabetes.

Autoimmune Response

This cause of Diabetes is associated with the immune system attacking the insulin that produces beta cells.

So how do I know I have Diabetes? Continue reading if this is your concern as I take you through the symptoms of Diabetes

Symptoms Of Diabetes

If you want to know if the symptoms you are experiencing are Diabetes or not you can confirm that below.

These symptoms are common among all types of Diabetes and they are:

• Excessive Thirst and Urination

• Unexplained Weight Loss

• Fatigue

• Blurred Vision

Excessive Thirst And Urination

When there is an increase in your glucose level, it will heighten the frequency of your thirst and urination, especially at night.

Young children who do not wet bed will begin experiencing bedwetting.

However, when you start experiencing this you need to see a doctor or any healthcare assistance.

Unexplained Weight Loss

Especially in Type 1 Diabetes, the body may break down fat and muscle for energy and this will significantly lead to weight loss.

Fatigue

When there is insufficient use of glucose in the blood of a person due to Diabetes, it can result in persistent tiredness when you have not done any heavy work.

Blurred Vision

When the blood sugar which is generally known as the glucose where the body derives energy fluctuates in its levels, it can affect the eyes resulting in blurred vision.

How do I test for Diabetes? Follow me through as I take you on it :

Diagnosis And Tests For Diabetes

Testing and diagnosing Diabetes is very important. You need to carry out any of the tests below to test for diabetes.

Note that regular testing is very crucial for its treatment. Here we go:

• Fasting Blood Sugar Test

• Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)

• Haemoglobin A1c Test

Fasting Blood Sugar Test

When you do fasting for any purpose whether religious or an overnight fast it measures your blood glucose levels.

Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)

OGTT entails drinking glucose solution and fasting to measure your blood sugar levels.

Haemoglobin A1c Test

The haemoglobin A1c Test is one of the ways of testing blood sugar levels.

It gives an average blood sugar levels over the past 2 to 3 months.

Management And Treatment

So how can I manage and treat Diabetes? If you want to know how you can manage and treat Diabetes continue reading. Here is how to manage and treat Diabetes:

• Engage In Insulin Therapy

• Oral Medications

• Lifestyle Modifications

Engage In Insulin Therapy

People with Type 1 Diabetes and advanced cases of Type 2 Diabetes are required to engage in Insulin Therapy as it is tested to show significant improvement in Diabetes management and treatment.

Oral Medications

With medications such as Metformin, the blood sugar levels can be controlled especially in Type 2 Diabetes.

Lifestyle Modifications

When you modify your way of living such as healthy eating, weight management, and regular physical activities, it helps manage Diabetes.

Prevention Of Diabetes

If you do not consciously try as much as possible to avoid getting Diabetes you may be sorry if you get it.

Let me guide you on how you can avoid Diabetes. Here is how to prevent Diabetes:

• Living Healthy Lifestyle

• Regular Check-ups

Living Healthy Lifestyle

One most effective ways to prevent Diabetes is living a healthy lifestyle and this involves eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight and regular exercise can immensely reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

Regular Check-ups

In the management and treatment of any disease, you need to always go for regular check-ups up and Diabetes is no exception.

Going for regular check-ups is key to monitoring blood sugar levels and any potential risk factors.

So how can a person live with Diabetes? If you want to know how, then I got you covered. There we go:

How To Live With Diabetes

If you want to learn to live with Diabetes, this is how to go about it:

• Blood Sugar Monitoring

• Participating in Educational Programs

• Emotional Well-being

Blood Sugar Monitoring

To live with Diabetes, you need to regularly monitor your glucose level using Glucose meters and this helps know your glucose levels for better management.

Educational Programs

When you have Diabetes you need to attend Diabetes education programs that will empower you to make informed decisions about your health.

Emotional Well-being

One thing that normally kills sick people is emotions. When a person is suffering from Diabetes such a person’s emotional needs must be attended to through support groups and counselling.

This can significantly contribute to their overall well-being.

What Are The Complications Of Diabetes?

When Diabetes persists it leads to complications such as:

• Cardiovascular Issues

• Kidney Diseases

• Nerve Damage

Cardiovascular Issues

When Diabetes persists or lasts for long it is capable of increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Kidney Disease

When Diabetes stays on a person for a long time it causes damage to the kidney of the person having it.

Nerve Damage

Long-term Diabetes might result in peripheral neuropathy which can cause pain and numbness.

Who Should I Seek Help As A Diabetes Patient?

You can seek guidance from healthcare professionals like endocrinologists.  

Frequently Asked Questions

 What food should I avoid as a Diabetic patient

If you have Diabetes, you need to avoid taking soda regularly, sweetened fruit juices, energy drinks, noodles, and more.

Conclusion

We discovered in the article that, Diabetes is a chronic disease that results when the pancreas can not produce enough insulin.

It has three types namely Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, and Gestational Diabetes.

To collectively fight Diabetes, we all need to know its symptoms, prevention, causes, and more as explained in the article.

We need you healthy, the world needs me as well to help contribute our quota to making the world a better place to be so let us all live healthy lives to battle Diabetes and other diseases completely.