Type 2 Diabetes is a metabolic disease that occurs when the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood is quite high. What happens is that the pancreas stops producing insulin, the metabolic cells do not work properly, and the sugar stays in the blood.
For humans, glucose is the main source of energy and it comes from food. Without insulin we do not absorb that glucose, it remains in the blood and over time, affects the body in a negative way.
Diabetes has no cure but it can be treated with medications or injected insulin, a balanced diet, and leading a healthy and active lifestyle.
Sometimes there are people who when they have diabetes say that they have “just a little over the top sugar levels” or have “prediabetes.” Even so, all cases of diabetes are serious.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common, it can appear at any age but is mostly seen in adults and can be hereditary.
Around 500 million people in the world suffer from diabetes. In Roatan, 3 out of 10 patients that we see are diabetic and of those three, perhaps one takes proper care of himself.
Diabetes is a dangerous disease and if you don’t take care of it, it will destroy your body over time.
Problems that people with diabetes can have.
- Eyes: cataract, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma
- Heart: coronary artery disease, heart failure, and diabetic cardiomyopathy
- Brain: stroke, dementia, depression, and cognitive dysfunction.
- Kidneys: diabetic or chronic nephropathy.
- Dental: cavities, gingivitis, periodontitis, canker sores, xerostomia.
- Feet: damage to blood vessels and nerves. Numbness, low sensitivity, infections.
Symptoms:
- Fatigue and blurred vision
- Spontaneous weight loss
- Urge to urinate and very thirsty
- Tingling in the hands and feet
- A lot of appetite
- Wounds that won’t heal
Causes:
- Family history of Diabetes
- Genetics (American, Hispanic, Asian, and African-American)
- Overweight (Lead a sedentary lifestyle)
- Develop insulin resistance
Diabetes mellitus is one of the leading causes of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, strokes, and limb amputation in the world. Having poorly controlled diabetes increases your chances of developing diseases, suffering complications, and premature death.
People with diabetes are at higher risk of complications from contracting Covid19, having cardiovascular disease and tuberculosis.
A person with diabetes must maintain good control of their sugar levels. Take the levels daily, on an empty stomach, and write down the result in a notebook. If the levels are not normal, consult your trusted internist or endocrinologist. The endocrinologist is the medical specialist who treats diabetes and other conditions of the endocrine glands.
On an empty stomach
A blood sugar (glucose) level less than 120 mg / dl is considered normal.
A blood glucose level between 150 and 300 mg / dl is considered diabetes.
A person with diabetes should visit the ophthalmologist at least once a year.
