What is The Treatment For Diabetes?
Diabetes is incurable for most people, treatment regimens include medication, lifestyle changes, and management of the various complications of diabetes.
Diabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar levels are high, and it can cause many serious health problems if left untreated or controlled. Diabetes is incurable, but it can go into remission.
There are many ways to manage diabetes. In addition to making healthy lifestyle choices, these treatments can contribute to eliminating the risk of diabetes complications, as well as helping to keep you healthy.
Have you been recently diagnosed, and are battling diabetes? This wellness article is a start to a deeper understanding of how you can live a healthier life—with all the tools, health tips, and food you need.
A diabetes doctor can help you find the right diabetes treatment plan for you. If you have several risk factors for diabetes, or if you have high levels of blood sugar in your urine, your doctor may suspect that you have diabetes.
Your blood sugar (blood glucose) level may be high if your pancreas produces little or no insulin (type 1 diabetes), or if your body does not respond normally to insulin (type 2 diabetes).
There are a number of available treatments to help you manage and treat diabetes.
The condition of the human body is different, so the diabetes care provided will vary depending on the needs.
The diagnosis starts with 1 of 3 tests. In most cases, your doctor will repeat tests to confirm the diagnosis:
An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) requires drinking a beverage containing glucose and then having your blood glucose levels checked every 30 to 60 minutes for up to 3 hours. If your glucose level is 200 mg/dL or higher in 2 hours, you probably have diabetes.
A fasting glucose test is a test of your blood sugar level that is taken in the morning before you eat. If you have a level of 126 mg/dL or higher, you are much more likely to develop diabetes.
The A1c test is a simple blood test that shows your average blood sugar level for the past 2-3 months. A level of A1c of 6.5% or higher indicates that the person has diabetes.
Diabetes Definition
Diabetes is a condition that impairs the human body's ability to process blood glucose, which is known as blood sugar.
In the United States, the number of people over the age of 18 with diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes is estimated at 30.2 million. This amount represents between 27.9 and 32.7% of the population.
Diabetes is caused by a buildup of sugar levels in the blood, which increases the risk of complications, including stroke and heart disease.
Various types of diabetes can occur, and the management of the condition depends on the type. Not all forms of diabetes stem from someone who is overweight, or leads a sedentary lifestyle.
Prediabetes
Doctors say some people can have prediabetes or threshold diabetes when blood sugar is in the range of 100 to 125 milligrams per deciliter.
Normal blood sugar levels range between 70 and 99 mg/dL, whereas diabetics have blood sugar levels higher than 126 mg/dl.
A prediabetes level means that the blood glucose is higher than normal, but not so high as to be called diabetes.
However, people with prediabetes are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, even though they usually don't experience severe diabetes symptoms.
The risk factors for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are similar. They include :
- a family history of diabetes
- overweight
– gestational diabetes
- PCOS or history of polycystic ovarian syndrome
- have a high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level lower than 40 mg/dL or 50 mg/dL
- a history of high blood pressure
- having a sedentary lifestyle
- African-American, Latin American, Native American, or Asian-Pacific Islander
- above 45 years old
If a diabetes doctor identifies that a person has prediabetes, they will recommend that the individual make healthy changes that could ideally stop the progression to type 2 diabetes. Losing weight and having a healthy diet can help prevent the disease.
What is Gestational Diabetes?
Gestational diabetes will occur when your blood glucose level is high during pregnancy. As the pregnancy progresses, the growing baby has greater glucose requirements.
Hormonal changes during pregnancy also affect the performance of insulin, which causes high blood glucose levels. Pregnant women at greater risk for gestational diabetes include those who:
- Having a family history of diabetes.
- A history of polycystic ovary syndrome.
- being overweight.
- More than 35 years old.
Blood glucose levels will return to normal after giving birth. However, women who have gestational diabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in later life. (healthline.com)
Which Treatment Is Best for Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease that you cannot treat yourself.
Your doctor will help create the right diabetes treatment plan for you.
You may need other health care professionals on your diabetes care team, including a podiatrist, nutritionist, eye doctor, and diabetes specialist.
Type 1 diabetes, you have to use insulin to treat your diabetes. You take insulin by injection or by pump. It's also free with a prescription.
Type 2 diabetes, you may need to take insulin or tablets, although you can initially treat diabetes by eating a good diet and being more active.
If you have another type of diabetes, your treatment options may differ. Speak to a doctor.
Treatment for diabetes requires close monitoring of your blood sugar levels, with a combination of medicine, exercise, and diet.
By paying attention to your meals and the timing of your meals, you can minimize the "seesaw effect" of rapidly changing blood sugar levels, which requires rapid changes in the dosage of medications, especially insulin. Find out how to choose the diabetes treatment that is right for you.
Diabetes Treatment Type 1
islet cell transplant
If you have type 1 diabetes, you might be able to get an islet cell transplant. It may stop you if you have severe hypo.
insulin pump
Insulin pumps can be a great alternative to injecting insulin pens. This can give you more flexibility when it comes to managing your diabetes. But you have to meet the NICE guidelines to use an insulin pump
Diabetes 2 Treatment Guidelines
Tablets and medicines
You will need medication to regulate your blood sugar levels. The most common tablets are metformin, but there are many different varieties.
Some medications stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin, such as sulfonylureas.
If you need to take medication to manage your diabetes, your doctor will decide which one is best for you.
Diet and exercise
Many people with type 2 diabetes don't take any medication, and they treat their diabetes by eating a good diet and exercising more.
Recent research has shown that weight loss can lead to remission of type 2 diabetes. There is some information and advice that can help you live a healthy life.
How To Help Diabetic Person
Several newer and experimental treatments have demonstrated positive effects on blood glucose and diabetes.
Bariatric surgery: this can help people with obesity and type 2 diabetes get back to normal blood glucose levels. Research has shown that this type of surgery supports type 1 diabetics in controlling blood glucose.
Pancreatic islet transplant: The islets are a group of insulin-producing cells. The immune system of someone with type 1 diabetes attacks this.
Transplantation takes islets from a donated functional pancreas, and replaces the destroyed islets in people with type 1 diabetes. This is an experimental treatment, available only through enrollment in research studies.
Results will vary and depend on whether the diabetic is taking insulin, how long they have had diabetes, and the rate of weight loss.
Artificial pancreas: known as a hybrid closed-loop system, replaces glucose monitoring and insulin injections, measures blood sugar levels every 5 minutes and provides insulin and glucagon doses accordingly.
Remote monitoring by medical professionals or parents and caregivers is also possible, to ensure that the system continues to work.
Mealtimes still require manual adjustment of insulin levels, but can help diabetics sleep through the night without getting up to test blood glucose, or reduce glucose using medication.
Side Effects of Diabetes Medication
Side effects are problems caused by medications. Some diabetes medications can cause hypoglycemia (low blood glucose), if you don't balance your medications with food and activity.
Ask your health care professional if your diabetes medication might cause hypoglycemia or other side effects, such as stomach upset and weight gain. Take your diabetes medication as instructed by your doctor, to help prevent diabetes side effects and problems.
The primary goal of diabetes treatment is to return blood sugar to a safe threshold, and reduce the risk of developing complications, while helping people with diabetes continue their daily functions.
Diabetes Curable or Not?
Currently, there is no cure for diabetes, but the disease can go into remission.
When diabetes is in remission, it means that your body is not showing any signs of diabetes, even though the disease is technically still present.
Doctors haven't reached a final consensus on what remission really means, but doctors include an A1C level under 6% as a significant factor.
A1C levels indicate a person's blood sugar level for 3 months. Remissions come in several different forms:
Complete remission: When the blood glucose level returns to a completely normal level outside the diabetes or prediabetes range, and remains there for at least 1 year without any medication.
Partial remission: When a person has maintained lower blood glucose levels for at least 1 year without the need for diabetes medication.
Prolonged remission: When remission lasts for at least 5 years. Even if you maintain normal blood sugar levels for 20 years, doctors will still treat your diabetes as a remission.
Overview
There are a number of treatments for managing diabetes. Everyone is different, so treatment will vary and depend on the needs.
If you have Type 1 diabetes, you need to take insulin to treat your diabetes. You may take insulin by injection, or by using a pump. It should also be by prescription.
If you have type 2 diabetes, you will need to take insulin or tablets, although you may initially be able to treat your diabetes by eating a good diet and exercising.
Your doctor can help you find the right diabetes care plan that fits your lifestyle.
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