Diabetes - Prevention and Management by Awareness - Part 2

Continuing from the part-1 of this series where we learned the types of diabetes, how they develop and what are the risk factors (link below). In this part, 2nd and last in this series, we will learn how diabetes harms us, is it just the increased glucose or it means something else as well.

http://simplefiedscience.blogspot.in/2014/01/diabetes-prevention-and-management-by.html

Come to think of it, how diabetes harms our body is yet another area where general population is found misinformed and misguided. There is much more than sugar in the urine, sweating, trembling of hands and legs, and usual anxiety in diabetes. The increased glucose level in the blood creates havoc for the cells in our body. It deregulates the normal metabolism and function of the organs including liver, heart, kidney, eyes, brain, lungs, blood capillaries and their cells.

Even though our cells are being severely affected and damaged by increased sugar in the blood, we do not realize this until it is too late. Initially, in type 2 diabetes, with little increase in the blood sugar our body tries to adjust by increasing the insulin level. Slowly, it reaches a point where even several fold increase in insulin, hyper-insulinemia, is also not effective to down regulate glucose level. And because insulin also helps in increased fatty acid synthesis, cell growth and many other physiological role, the enhanced levels of insulin may expose the body to many other pathological conditions such as metabolic deregulation, obesity, heart diseases, cancer and so on.

Image curtesy: http://www.lef.org/

 

After a while insulin level tapers down leading to full-blown diabetes where there is no regulation of blood glucose, whatsoever. At this stage gluco-meter readings come more than 400mg/dL.

The vessels that carry the blood get affected first leading to macro- and micro-angiopathy including endothelial dysfunction, arteriosclerosis and angiogenesis, neuropathy leading to loss in sensation and nerve conduction, nephropathy leading to kidney failure, occulopathy such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataract development in eye lens. Besides these, the frequent glucose up-regulation (hyperglycemia) and down-regulation (hypoglycemia) creates problem to the brain functioning leading to hallucinations, disorientation, depression and other problems.

Cartoon curtesy: oldsailor2007.blogspot.com

 

Although early diagnosis would lead to better management of the diabetes, being older or newer disease is not as important as how well or poorly it has been managed. Even if diabetes is diagnosed early, if not managed well with proper diet, exercise and healthy lifestyle, the patients suffer more mortality and morbidity.

To be a diabetes free society it is as much an individual problem as a social problem. Many epidemiological studies indicate that society plays greater role in how and which disease spreads in its people.

Image curtesy: (Diabetics Friends Society) http://youngleaders.idf.org/

 

If a society has good attitude towards healthy eating and living, and educational and awareness programs to educate its people, the individuals could benefit and protect themselves from many diseases, including diabetes.

Image Curtesy: www.h3daily.com/

 

What is good eating and living attitude? To recognize how much calorie one needs to stay active and fit, to know which food has roughly how much calories, to be aware that in the comfort and luxury seeking society physical activity is equally or rather highly important factor to stay well and free of diseases. Individual eating and living approach will have better effect on overall behavior of the society towards how it protects its people and tackles the lifestyle diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

 

Image curtesy:http://lankaspice.wordpress.com

Thus, next time when you see someone reacting to high glucose level in a random blood test in disbelief, anguish, anxiety, worry and other emotional expressions, you know what we must do as an individual and as a society!