What is Diabetes: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment?

Diabetes mellitus is a condition where your blood sugar is too high. This happens because your body does not make enough insulin or cannot use it well. Insulin will help move sugar from your blood into your cells for energy. Without enough insulin, sugar stays in your blood which will harm your nerves, eyes, kidneys and other organs. Read further below to know what is diabetes and what steps to take to manage it properly to keep you healthy.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is nothing but the disease when your blood sugar (glucose) levels are too high. This happens because your pancreas does not make enough insulin or your body does not use insulin properly. Insulin is important to help sugar get into your cells for energy. Diabetes can affect anyone and most types are long term conditions. However, you can manage diabetes with medicine and lifestyle changes to stay healthy.

What are the Symptoms of Diabetes?

Check out below to know what are the symptoms of diabetes.

General Symptoms

The symptoms of type 1, type 2, and type 1.5 (LADA) diabetes are similar but they appear fast in type 1. In type 2, symptoms appear more slowly. People with type 2 diabetes usually have tingling nerves and sores that heal slowly. If type 1 diabetes is not treated, it will lead to diabetic ketoacidosis which is a serious condition with high levels of ketones in the body. This is less common in other types of diabetes but can still happen.

The general symptoms of diabetes are as follows:

increased thirst
increased hunger
weight loss
blurry vision
frequent urination
sores that do not heal
extreme fatigue

Symptoms in Men

Apart from the general symptoms of diabetes, men having diabetes might have:

erectile dysfunction
a decreased sex drive
poor muscle strength

Symptoms in Women

Women having diabetes can have symptoms like:

urinary tract infections vaginal dryness
dry, itchy skin
yeast infections

Gestational Diabetes

Most people with gestational diabetes do not have symptoms. Doctors usually find it during a routine blood sugar test or oral glucose tolerance test between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy. In rare cases, some people with gestational diabetes may feel more thirsty or need to urinate more frequently.

What Causes Diabetes?

If you want to know what causes diabetes, read ahead. The cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown but scientists know it makes the body attack the cells that produce insulin. They are researching why this happens. You know what is type 2 diabetes, it is caused by the body not making enough insulin or not using it properly. This leads to high blood sugar levels. Type 2 is often linked to following:

Not being physically active
Being overweight or obese
Having family members with type 2 diabetes
Having pre-diabetes which is the condition when blood sugar is higher than normal but not yet diagnosed as diabetes

Type 2 diabetes often develops slowly and usually affects adults over 40 but it can happen at any age. People with South Asian, African Caribbean or Black Asian backgrounds have a higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes. Hope you understand what is type 2 diabetes and how it affects.

How is Diabetes Diagnosed?

A doctor will diagnose diabetes using different blood tests which are as follows:

Haemoglobin A1C test: This test shows your average blood sugar level over the past three months.
Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test: This test is done after not eating or drinking for at least eight hours.
Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT): You drink a sugary drink and your blood sugar is tested two hours later.
Random plasma glucose (RPG) test: This test is done anytime regardless of when you last ate. It will help diagnose diabetes if you have symptoms.

Treatment for Diabetes

Diabetes is a condition that needs careful management and varies from person to person. Here are the main aspects of managing diabetes:

Blood Sugar Monitoring

Checking your blood sugar levels will help you know how well your treatment is working. You can use a glucose meter or a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to do this. Your healthcare provider will help you decide your target blood sugar range.

Oral Medications

There are pills that help control blood sugar especially in people with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. Metformin is a common medication used.

Insulin

People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin to manage their condition. Some people with type 2 diabetes also need insulin. There are different types of insulin which can be taken through shots, insulin pens, pumps, or inhaled insulin.

Diet

Eating a healthy diet is crucial for managing diabetes. If you use insulin, you will need to count the carbs in your food to know how much insulin to take. Healthy eating can also help you with weight management and reducing heart disease risk.

Exercise

Regular physical activity helps make your body more sensitive to insulin which is important to manage diabetes.

Additionally, it is important to maintain a healthy weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Conclusion

Some types of diabetes like types 1 and 1.5 happen for reasons that you cannot control. Others, like type 2 diabetes can be prevented by eating healthier, being more active, and losing weight. You should talk to your doctor about your diabetes risk. If you are at risk, get your blood sugar tested and follow your doctor's advice to manage it.

For consulting the best diabetologist, you can visit EMC hospital which was established in 1985 as a small 50-bed hospital. Over time, it has grown into a top healthcare facility in Kochi with 250 beds and many services. We focus on providing high quality healthcare at a reasonable price and we are dedicated to serving our community well. As a NABH-accredited hospital, we aim to keep improving and be the best multispeciality hospital in Kochi. We want to be a top provider of high quality and patient centered care in the area.