1) DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION:
Diabetes is a condition in which the blood glucose concentration is chronically high due to the absence of insulin, under-secretion or resistance of target cells to insulin. is a disease.
Diabetes is diagnosed if fasting blood glucose in venous blood exceeds 140 mg/dl or if it is 200 mg/dl and above 2 hours after 75gr sugar load, according to the criteria of the World Health Organization (WHO). The American Diabetes Association (ADA) revised these criteria and recommended that the fasting blood sugar limit be reduced to 126 mg/dl.
The two main forms of diabetes are Type 1 or insulin dependent diabetes (IDDM) and Type 2 or non-insulin dependent diabetes (NIDDM). Type 1 diabetes generally occurs in childhood and adolescence and constitutes 20 percent of all diabetes cases, while Type 2 diabetes occurs in middle and advanced age and constitutes 80 percent of diabetes cases in Europe and North America.
2)SYMPTOMS:
Some of the most common clinical findings during diagnosis of diabetes are as follows:
- Frequent urination and dry mouth (more common in Type 1 diabetes)
- Weakness or fatigue (more common in type 1 diabetes)
- Weight loss despite eating a lot (usually in type 1 diabetes)
- Blurred vision (more common in type 2 diabetes)
- Peripheral neuropathy (more common in Type2 diabetes)
- Diffuse pruritus or fungal diseases (more common in Type2 diabetes)
3) TREATMENT:
Ideally suited for the first patient diagnosed with diabetes A diet that contains calories for weight, contains sufficient protein (10-20%) and provides 40-60% of energy from carbohydrates should be given. The fiber ratio of the daily diet should be increased by utilizing foods such as bran, oats, legumes, and apples. In addition, lifestyle changes such as exercise and quitting smoking play an important role in the treatment of diabetes.
If hyperglycemia cannot be controlled with diet and exercise, oral hypoglycemic drugs are used in Type 2 diabetics. Insulin is used in all Type1 (IDDM) patients and some of Type2 (NIDDM) diabetics.
The target in blood sugar control is to keep the glycosylated hemoglobin (HgA1c) level within the normal range.
Diabetes and heart attack risk:
The risk of cardiovascular diseases is increased in both Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. While diabetes generally reduces a person’s life expectancy by 25%, cardiovascular diseases account for 15% of all deaths in Type 1 diabetes; this rate rises to 58% in Type 2 diabetes! The American Heart Foundation has classified diabetes as a risk factor as dangerous as smoking, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. In large epidemiological studies, it has been determined that the risk of cardiovascular disease, infarction and sudden death in people with diabetes is 2 to 5 times higher than that of normal people.
