Detect diabetes - How do I know I am affected?
How can you recognize diabetes? Diabetes (diabetes) is not a rare phenomenon in this country. Currently, almost every tenth German citizen is affected by or at risk of diabetes. With such a high frequency, it would be careless, if not downright negligent, to assume that one would be immune to this disease. On balance, this assumption is true for the majority of diabetes patients, but who wants to tread on the thin ice of speculation in such matters?
Congenital or self-made?
Patients with diabetes type 1 suffer from a genetically determined malfunction of the pancreas and are, so to speak, born with this disease. The disease is almost certainly diagnosed and also treated by a doctor in childhood.
However, the greater part of diabetes mellitus diseases can be assigned to diabetes type 2, which is by no means congenital, but rather self-made. Here, a critical approach to one's own lifestyle and corresponding decisions would make a lot of sense. Certainly one will turn to such considerations only with unwillingness and in the case of doubt also on argumentations fall back, like the infamous case of the grandfather, who smoked like a chimney, but which became nevertheless over ninety, in order to die then of a perfectly natural death. Such cases exist, of course, and the mere fact of being overweight and hardly being able to comfortably go to the refrigerator on one's own does not imply that one must necessarily suffer from diabetes. It merely increases the risk, the assessment of which is best left to all of us.
When to go to the doctor?
There was a 4-point test in the media recently to encourage a conversation with your doctor.
- Are you over forty?
- Is there diabetes in your family?
- Are you overweight?
- Do you exercise regularly?
If you can answer "yes" to three of the four questions, you are "at risk" for diabetes and should talk to your doctor.
In fact, talking to your doctor, or visiting your doctor, is really the better method, rather than self-diagnosis based on Google advice and YouTube videos. Like all other diseases, there are, of course, a number of symptoms of diabetes that will be felt and should be taken seriously. Since diabetes is not a disease in which one is struck by a blow, so to speak, the course of the disease may well proceed insidiously and unnoticed and in severe cases lead to lasting consequential damage. Knowing your body and being sensitive to changes may help to detect a disease like diabetes mellitus at an early stage.
The physical symptoms
Since diabetes in all its manifestations is a permanent or temporary disorder of the pancreas and its function, pathological (physical) impairments can also be felt. Sufferers often complain of:
- Fatigue
- Low spirits
- Excessive thirst
- Disproportionate urge to urinate
These are all symptoms that could have completely different causes. All in all, however, a clarifying conversation with a doctor would be the best way to dispel any last doubts.
See a doctor for absolute certainty
In order to be sure that you have diabetes, it is essential to see a doctor. If there is reason to suspect that the patient has diabetes, blood glucose and insulin levels are measured in order to diagnose the disease and to determine a suitable therapy on the basis of the corresponding values.
Depending on the classification of the type of diabetes, the doctor will agree with the patient on a drug therapy that will accompany the patient for the rest of his or her life in most cases, since diabetes in its two main types can be controlled by a doctor but cannot be "cured". A drug-regulating therapy is absolutely necessary in order to exclude secondary diseases of diabetes or to recognize them in time. Besides organic malfunctions, the thickening of the blood due to hyperglycemia alone would be a reason not to underestimate such possible consequences, since not infrequently life-threatening conditions can be brought about here, which would not come to fruition by simply suffering from diabetes mellitus. Even if a disease such as diabetes will certainly never be welcome, sick people can usually go about their lives and usual activities quite normally without having to reckon with far-reaching restrictions. The only important thing is to keep your eye on the ball with medical support in order to be able to direct the course of the disease if necessary.
Is prevention possible?
Provided that one feels oneself to be "potentially at risk", a little prevention and the exclusion of risk factors is recommended. Here, absolutely no "rules" apply to diabetes that one has not heard countless times elsewhere. A healthy, balanced diet and a medical level of physical activity will not present anyone with insurmountable hurdles.
Avoiding obesity will also prevent other diseases and conditions, and "physical activity" in a medically appropriate context does not mean competitive sports, but at most a few daily walks at a moderate pace.
The bottom line is that the same attention applies to diabetes as to any other change in body and mind. The problem with a disease like diabetes is simply an ignorance of the symptoms and warning signs. With the flu looming, everyone will know at least a day in advance that they will soon be sitting in their bed with a family pack of tissues, gasping sufferingly. With diabetes, the symptoms are far less obvious and are more tempting to overlook as symptoms of this disease. We all know days when we feel listless and tired, or run to the bathroom after every cup of coffee. It is important to know your body and to assess such changes correctly, or if in doubt, it is better to go to the doctor once more than once too little.
Diabetes in the future: What can be expected?
It can be assumed that medicine will discover further possibilities for the long-term therapy of diabetes in the future. This can be deduced from the fact that the high incidence of this disease is so significant that ministries and research centers are allocating funds and budgets specifically for diabetes in a way that is otherwise only known from cancer research or prosthetics. Diabetes is an issue in countries of Western society. This in turn means that a wide range of information and help is available to those affected. These range from medical care to self-help groups and specialist clinics.
Even politics and business are dealing with this issue, with public debates looking for ways to reduce the amount of sugar in foods or bring it down to a healthy level. In any case, however, anyone who feels at risk or even threatened should seek a discussion with their family doctor to rule out any doubt.
After being diagnosed with diabetes, many people are initially shocked and need some time to get used to the idea. The fear of hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia is a constant companion, especially at the beginning. The more you know about your body's response to exercise and diet and watch for symptoms, the better it is to live with diabetes. </p>
If the blood glucose level rises above the kidney threshold of around 180 mg/dl, the body excretes the sugar in the urine, accompanied by a strong urge to urinate and excessive thirst. Due to the high loss of fluid, there is a risk of the body becoming dehydrated. Especially in older people with type 2 diabetes, symptoms such as a strong urge to urinate and great thirst are more pronounced, so that dehydration can increase to hyperosmolar coma with significant consequences. In people with type 1 diabetes, there is the added risk of ketoacidosis, a Übersäure of the blood that can lead to ketoacidotic coma. Both forms of diabetic coma are life-threatening. </p>
Diabetes can develop slowly and with barely noticeable symptoms, and therefore is often not diagnosed until it is at a distinct stage. As a result, blood glucose may be chronically elevated over a long period of time, causing numerous irreversible sequelae. Attacked blood vessels and nerve damage can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, and</p>
diseases of the retina and kidney damage. Häoften, diabetes is not recognized until acute hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. </p>
Very high blood glucose levels above 600 mg/dl are called hyperglycemic emergencies and can develop into dangerous metabolic disorders. There is a risk of diabetic coma, which can be fatal. </p>
When a diabetic consumes too much sugar, the blood glucose level increases, which can be manifested in symptoms such as frequent urination, severe thirst, weakness, tiredness, lack of concentration, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. To avoid hyperglycemia, the affected person should check blood glucose levels after meals and inject insulin if needed. Blood glucose levels should continue to be checked every 2 hours, and plenty of sugar-free fluids should be consumed. </p>
