Is Diabetes a Lifestyle Disease
Diabetes (also known as diabetes mellitus) is a condition that impairs body’s ability to process blood glucose, otherwise known as blood sugar. With diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use it as well as it should. Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how one’s body turns food into energy. Most of the food we eat is broken down into sugar (also called glucose) and released into the bloodstream. When the blood sugar goes up, it signals pancreas to release insulin. Insulin acts like a key to let the blood sugar into body’s cells for use as energy. If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin nor can’t use the insulin it makes as well as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream. Over time, that can cause serious health problems such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.
Types of Diabetes
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistake) that stops the body from making insulin. Approximately 5-10% of the people who have diabetes have Type 1. Symptoms of Type 1 diabetes often develop quickly. It’s usually diagnosed in children, teens, and young adults. If you have type 1 diabetes, you’ll need to take insulin every day to survive.
Type 2 Diabetes
With Type 2 diabetes, the body doesn’t use insulin well and can’t keep blood sugar at normal levels. About 90-95% of people with diabetes have Type 2. It develops over many years and is usually diagnosed in adults. You may not notice any symptoms, so it’s important to get your blood sugar tested if you’re at risk. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed with healthy lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, eating healthy food, and being active.
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes develops in pregnant women who have never had diabetes. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after the baby is born but increases the risk for type 2 diabetes later in mother’s life. With Gestational diabetes the baby could be at higher risk for health problems. Baby is more likely to have obesity as a child or teen and probable to develop type 2 diabetes later in life too.
Prediabetes
With Prediabetes blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes raises the risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Symptoms
The classic symptoms of untreated diabetes are unintended weight loss, polyuria (increased urination), polydipsia (increased thirst), polyphagia (increased hunger), blurred vision, headache, fatigue, slow healing of cuts and itchy skin. Symptoms may develop rapidly (weeks or months) in type 1 diabetes, while they usually develop much more slowly and may be subtle or absent in type 2 diabetes.
Diagnosis
Diabetes is diagnosed with a test for the glucose content in the blood, by demonstrating any one of the following:
- Fasting glucose level ≥ 7.0 mmol/L (126 mg/dL): Blood is taken after a period of fasting i.e. in the morning before breakfast, after the patient had sufficient time to fast overnight.
- Plasma glucose ≥ 11.1 mmol/L (200 mg/dL): Blood sample is taken one hour after 75 gram oral glucose intake and again two hours after 75 gram oral glucose intake.
- Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) ≥ 48 mmol/mol (≥ 6.5 DCCT %)
- Symptoms of high blood sugar and plasma glucose ≥ 11.1 mmol/L (200 mg/dL) either while fasting or not fasting.
A positive result, in the absence of unequivocal high blood sugar, should be confirmed by a repeat of any of the above methods on a different day. According to the current definition, two fasting glucose measurements above 7.0 mmol/L (126 mg/dL) is considered diagnostic for diabetes.
Treatment
Telehealth for type 2 diabetes may have always been useful for many patients, but it became more available—and a necessity—with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay-at-home orders to prevent transmission mean missed appointments unless they can be done virtually. Social distancing means more limited in-person appointment times. Beyond that, people with
type 2 diabetes are more likely to become severely ill and get more serious complications from COVID-19 if they are infected, making reducing possible exposure a top priority.
Telehealth allows people with this condition and access to technology to keep their diabetes in check from the safety of their own home. Telehealth is a great way for people with type 2 diabetes to have regular checkups with their doctors. Virtual visits allow healthcare providers to regularly monitor a patient’s blood pressure, blood sugar level, and weight, as well as ask whether they have been following their treatment plan, which may include a weight loss plan and
prescription medications.
Prevention
Telehealth for type 2 diabetes may have always been useful for many patients, but it became more available—and a necessity—with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay-at-home orders to prevent transmission mean missed appointments unless they can be done virtually.
Social distancing means more limited in-person appointment times. Beyond that, people with type 2 diabetes are more likely to become severely ill and get more serious complications from COVID-19 if they are infected, making reducing possible exposure a top priority.
Telehealth allows people with this condition and access to technology to keep their diabetes in check from the safety of their own home. Telehealth is a great way for people with type 2 diabetes to have regular checkups with their doctors. Virtual visits allow healthcare providers to regularly
monitor a patient’s blood pressure, blood sugar level, and weight, as well as ask whether they have been following their treatment plan, which may include a weight loss plan and prescription medications.
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