Things You Should Know About Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes Mellitus includes a group of diseases that deal
with how your body utilizes sugar or glucose. Diabetes Mellitus should not be
confused with Diabetes Insipidus which is caused due to insufficiency of ADH
(Antidiuretic Hormone). Diabetes Mellitus has Type I and Type II depending upon
if the patient is dependent on insulin or not. “Whichever the type may be, it
means that the body is unable to utilize glucose properly and the blood glucose
levels are on the higher side because the tissues are unable to efficiently utilize
them for their needs” says Dr. Sharma, an eminent doctor at Fortis Hospital,
Noida. “Too much glucose in the blood can cause a number of disorders,” he adds.

Diabetes can be chronic or acute. Type I and Type II can be
categorized under chronic diabetes while as pre-diabetes comes under acute
diabetes. Although type I diabetes can occur at any age it typically occurs
during childhood or adolescence. Type 2 diabetes is the more common type of
diabetes, can develop at any point in time, but incidence greatly increases
above the age of 40 years. Another type of diabetes is gestational diabetes,
which can manifest during pregnancy but may resolve once the baby is delivered.

Along with this, there could also be the presence of some
clinical signs

If you suspect that you have diabetes, you must visit Fortis
Hospital, Noida or any hospital near you and get a health check-up done.

Your doctor may prescribe you medications according to
diabetes you have as well as the extent to which diabetes in under control.
Your physician at Fortis Hospital Noida any other hospital may prescribe
regular blood sugar level monitoring along with oral hypoglycemic or insulin.
Along with this, your doctor would advise you lifestyle modifications,
eliminating refined sugar and carbohydrates from your diet along with adding
exercise like low impact cardio, running, brisk walking or yoga. Keeping safety measures is essential when you have diabetes. That’s why you should always wear medical ID jewelry that mentions you have diabetes so that you obtain proper treatment in the case of an emergency.

According to the severity of the disease, your doctor may
ask you to monitor your blood sugar a few times a week to a few times a day.
Blood sugar needs to be carefully monitored in order to be managed better. Your
doctor may also recommend HbA1c testing in order to analyze the blood sugar
over a span of last few months.

People with type 1 diabetes require insulin. Many people
with type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes also require insulin medication.
Insulin can’t be taken or administered orally and hence needs to be injected in
the patient. Patients of Type 1 diabetes usually carry an Insulin pen for their
medications.

The most common medication and usually the first line of
treatment for diabetic patients. Metformin is usually prescribed to patients of
Type 2 diabetes.

Weight management immensely helps people with diabetes and
also prevents a large number of co-morbid diseases with occur along with
diabetes and obesity. Take a healthy diet, with higher levels of complex
carbohydrates and fibre content and minimum sugar content. Include a variety of
fresh foods, vegetables, fruits, grains and avoid alcohol, refined
carbohydrates, packaged foods and takeaways.

Physical activity of half an hour to an hour can reduce your
sugar levels and improve a sluggish metabolism to improve your overall health.

Diabetes Mellitus should be managed to improve the quality
of life. A person with diabetes can live a good quality of life, and if it is
managed well, can minimize risks for occurrences of other diseases.