Diabetes is a medical condition where a person’s blood sugar levels are increased.
- Type 1 Diabetes-: It is an autoimmune disease where a person’s immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas (function of the pancreas is to produce insulin). Usually the affected age group is children or young adults.
- Type 2 Diabetes-: This type of diabetes is the most common type of diabetes. It affects people of over 45 years of age. Some cases can be observed in children also due to overweight and lifestyle. It is related to lifestyle (bad eating habits and lack of physical exercise). It is possible to manage type 2 diabetes by making changes in lifestyle such as having a balanced diet and doing proper exercise.
- Gestational Diabetes -: A type which occurs during pregnancy. Generally, it goes back to normal after delivery but it has a chance of recurrence in later stages of life. If it gets worse, insulin injections are a good option.
- Prediabetes –: It is a condition when blood sugar is higher than normal but not in excess that it can be said that it is diabetes type-2. Type 2 diabetes occurs in children and adults. Overweight, unhealthy food habits or lack of any physical exercise. This can be treated by improving one’s lifestyle.
According to reports, the life expectancy of individuals suffering from type 2 diabetes can be decreased by 10 years whereas the life expectancy of the individuals suffering from type 1 diabetes can be decreased by 20 years.
Type 1 diabetes which is also known to be insulin dependent diabetes. In this type of diabetes, the pancreas releases small amounts of insulin or no insulin.
- Nonproliferative diabetes-related retinopathy (NPDR): People in the early stage of type 1 diabetes have retinal blood vessels that leak. These blood vessels eventually get blocked causing ischemia.
- PDR (proliferative diabetes-related retinopathy): As the condition worsens, aberrant blood vessels enlarge to compensate for the ischemia. These aberrant blood vessels have the potential to bleed blood into the vitreous, the gel-like fluid that fills your eyes, causing fractional changes to the retina’s surface that, in the end, lead the retina to become detached and cause serious vision loss.
Type 1 diabetes is a more complex type of diabetes, it is harmful in both long term and short term.
Complications:
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- Diabetic ketoacidosis-: The signs and symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis are dizziness, mental confusion, loss in weight, excessive urination and fruity smell on breathing.
- Microvascular complications-: Eye, nerve disease and kidneys
- Eye -: Retinopathy is a major complication which will result in damage to retina and it can lead to permanent loss of sight.
- Kidneys-: Excessive increase in blood sugar levels can lead to diabetic nephropathy.
- Nerves-: increase in blood sugar levels can cause severe damage to nerves which is known as diabetic nephropathy.
- Macrovascular complications-:
- Heart– Type 1 diabetes can severely affect large blood vessels which can cause cardiac arrest.
Conclusion:
Management of type 1 diabetes complications can be done by taking regular insulin injections, having a balanced healthy diet and doing exercises regularly.
Regular health checkups should be done to keep a regular check on health that can prevent further damage.
