Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the body does not produce the amount of insulin it needs and directly affects the heart, kidney, and arteries.
Cristina Tesare
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that fulfills the function of maintaining the levels of glucose -sugar- in the blood. That is, it transports it to the interior of the cells so that it becomes energy and the muscles and tissues can function.
The pediatrician and childcare doctor, María Amelia Jiménez. Points out that diabetes is a chronic disease that presents high concentrations of glucose in the blood. Which, since it is not used by the tissues, produces alterations in the body. Such as the two fundamental types, type 1 (DM1) and type 2 (DM2) diabetes mellitus.
People who suffer from this disease have an excess of glucose, better known as hyperglycemia. Which occurs when it is not stored correctly by the cells and is distributed improperly. Therefore, when the sugar exceeds the normal level it tends to attack the heart, nerves, kidneys and arteries, presenting failures in these organs and producing heart attacks, loss of mood, fluid retention and amputation of lower limbs.
There are different types of diabetes and levels depending on its severity:
– Type 1 Diabetes:
It appears normally in children but young people and adults are not exempt from it, it attacks abruptly and destroys the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas. In some cases this diabetes turns into obesity.
– Type 2 Diabetes:
It tends to appear mainly in adults and the elderly. In this type the decrease in insulin is more noticeable, since the pancreas can produce insulin but not enough. Which produces an effect of insulin resistance, highlights Med. Jiménez.
– Gestational diabetes:
This appears during pregnancy, increasing insulin to increase energy. When it occurs and the body does not process insulin, it generates gestational diabetes that disappears after delivery. Women who go through this later develop type 2 diabetes.
The main symptoms that we can notice and we should pay attention to are: when we are very thirsty or hungry, we feel the need to urinate constantly, when we constantly change our weight, we feel tired or fatigued; we notice the presence of bruises or we feel tingling in our body.
One way to prevent the appearance of diabetes in its different presentations. It is recommended to be in constant study and monitoring with tests such as:
– Analysis of kidney function.
– Review of the feet.
– Electrocardiogram.
– Measurement of blood pressure.
– Be attentive if a high level of glucose in the blood appears (hyperglycemia).
– On our skin and feet, ulcers appear (lesions in which parts of the skin layer are lost and we cannot heal well). That can cause pain and itching.
The necessary treatment for the disease is based on diet and control of food, exercise and medication (injection of insulin or dialysis), in order to maintain the level of sugar in the blood and avoid long-term complications. In the diet, low sugar foods or products are recommended. So as not to alter the normal level of our body. You can also consume food supplements that help or strengthen the tissues of our body.
If we do not constantly monitor our blood sugar. In the future our body will have difficulties such as: heart problems, kidney or neuropathies, bone disorders, skin complications, digestive failures, among others. For this reason at least once or twice a year you should visit your endocrinologist to make sure that everything in your body is working properly.