Diabetes: Concept and Importance
Diabetes mellitus is the most common endocrine disease and it is a carbohydrate metabolism dysfunction that occurs due to absolute or relative insulin deficiency, and it is an affection characterized by hyperglycemia occurrence (blood glucose levels increase), polydipsia (severe thirst) and polyuria (excessive elimination of urine).
The disease affects about 140 million people around the world and some estimates agree that this number will double in value until 2025. Around 9 million people in Brazil have diabetes, and approximately 50 percent of these people still don’t know they have diabetes.
Many people erroneously think diabetes is not a complex disease; it is a common problem that "will disappear when we stop eating candies and drinking sweetened coffee for some time!" But it is not that.
We can live a normal life with diabetes, once some daily customs, routines and medications to control disease effects are introduced in the patient life.
Apart from that, when diabetes is not adequately controlled, some complications may arise, which will affect quality of life and possible conditions for a longer and normal expectancy of life and mainly without unnecessary suffering.
Diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2
Type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent and accounting for approximately 5 to 10 percent of all cases, is caused by the pancreas inability to produce insulin and also due to beta cell destruction.
Diabetes often appears suddenly and its main symptoms are severe thirst, intense appetite, fatigue, intense urination urges and increase of the blood glucose level (hyperglycemia); diabetes may lead to coma and death if it is not properly diagnosed and treated.
When pancreas is not able to produce any insulin, patients with type 1 diabetes will become insulin dependant for the rest of their lives.
Type 2 diabetes or non-insulin dependent is when there is insulin secretion reduction but not total absence of insulin. Usually it is diagnosed among persons 40 years of age, and it is common in obese patients. Symptoms appear gradually in patients with type 1 diabetes and it is nearly always diagnosed when a person without symptoms shows high levels of sugar after a common laboratory test. These cases are very sensitive to oral hypoglycemic agents – mainly sulphonylureas – in which case a proper diet and adequate physical exercises are very important for disease control.
The high incidence of diabetes around the world – approximately 12 percent of adult population between 40 and 74 years of age – causes a high economic impact, which represents 2 to 3 percent of all medical care in many countries.
Type 2 Diabetes often appears gradually and although it seems less dangerous, it may cause the same potential chronic complications of type 1 Diabetes, when it is not properly treated. Vascular, renal and cardiac complications appear in both diabetes types, whose severity depends on swift diagnosis / patient treatment.
Diabetes diet and physical exercises
The diet importance varies according to disease type. In patients with type 1 diabetes, mainly the ones that follow an intensive insulin therapy schedule, the diet plan doesn’t need to be much severe, since the insulin dose adjustment can cover great variations in food intake. Patients with type 2 diabetes, who are not insulin-treated patients, need to follow a more severe diet schedule, since their endogenous insulin is limited. Thus, these patients cannot satisfy the higher demands produced by excess calories or increase of carbohydrate intake (sugar) of rapid absorption.
It is necessary to be aware that not only carbohydrate intake should be avoided but also lipid (fat) and protein intake should be controlled on both types of diabetes. It is necessary a perfect balance among all components, whose nutrients must be balanced according to its corresponding values.
The physical exercises are necessary to reduce obesity and glycemia and it is extremely important an initial warm-up period with aerobic activities of 5 to 10 minutes in a less intensive level to prepare muscles, heart and lungs for intense activity. In the end, an activity decrease during 5 to 10 minutes is also necessary.
Regular physical exercises and activities are very important to control diabetes – especially at the same hour – and they must be enjoyable since only this way the diabetic person will participate.
What to do when diagnosing Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease whose evolution greatly depends on the patient. A diabetic person education and care of diabetes can make a difference between preventing and delaying long-term complications, such as blindness, renal insufficiency and other vascular pathologies, and even neuropathies that may occur.
To attend a doctor – regularly – and to follow his/her medical prescriptions, including diet and physical exercises, are the first necessary step for the understanding and acceptance of diabetes by a diabetic person.
The second necessary step refers to not paying attention to “comrades, neighbors, well intentioned friends and well-intentioned advisors” who always have an infallible suggestion, usually concerning intake of herbal drugs, which will solve your problem. We are not against herbal remedies, potions and faith healers, but there is not a scientific proof of their efficiency. It is a case of trading a true treatment for a false treatment.
And finally, the third necessary step is to live. Diabetes doesn’t prevent you to be a happy person, plenty of emotions and reasoning. You are not “a diseased person”; you only have a totally controlled disease. Live, be happy and make other people happy.