Diabetes which is also known as diabetes militias or sugar in common language is seen in 463 million adults aged between 20 to 79 according to the international diabetes federation(IDF) which is 10.5% of the worldwide population. Before going to the topic you need to understand that the food we intake either liquid or solid is converted into glucose inside the body. So, Diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin to pair up with these glucose molecules in the blood i.e., insulin is released from the pancreas and paired up with glucose molecules in the blood to circulate within the entire body. So, when the insulin produced from the pancreas is not enough or when the produced insulin is not used by the body effectively resulting in a higher level of glucose or sugar molecules and reduced insulin then it leads to diabetes. Hyperglycemia which is increased blood glucose or blood sugar is the effect of diabetes. Do read the blog completely to get an idea about how it is caused and how it is prevented because over 42 Lakh deaths have been seen due to a lack of awareness about diabetes. There are a few types of diabetes that are mostly seen among people.

There are four main types of diabetes are as follows:

1)Type-1 Diabetes:

It is seen in 5-10% of kids and teenagers i.e., type-1 diabetes occurs at a young age and is an autoimmune disorder. They need to take insulin injections daily to prevent the existence of the disease in their body.

2)Type-2 Diabetes:

Type-2 Diabetes is seen in adults due to overeating junk foods or fast foods which are unhealthy. Due to this overeating, there is an increased level of glucose in the body and the pancreas can not produce enough insulin for that resulting in insulin resistance. People who have high cholesterol and people who are not physically active are more likely to have type-2 diabetes.

3)Gestational diabetes:

This is seen in 5-7% of women while in pregnancy. These women need to be very careful and have a proper diet to control their diabetes. If not treated it is harmful to both the mother and the baby. It is resolved after pregnancy.

4)Prediabetes:

This generally occurs when you have more glucose levels than the normal range and lower than the diabetic range. If treated early with a few lifestyle changes it may not lead to any serious complications but if left untreated it leads to type-2 diabetes in the future.

There are a few other types of diabetes such as monogenic diabetes due to mutations in a single gene, cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, and drug-induced diabetes that may be due to certain medications.

Diabetes affects the other body parts as well which are the eyes, heart, kidneys, and legs.

So now let's understand about the causes and symptoms of diabetes:

As discussed above diabetes occurs mainly due to insulin resistance i.e., when the pancreas can not produce enough insulin for the glucose molecules.

Autoimmunity, hormonal imbalances, and genetic mutations may also be a cause of diabetes.

Long-term use of HIV/AIDS medication may also be a reason for diabetes.

Your unhealthy lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits may also be a reason for diabetes.

SYMPTOMS:

The first and foremost symptom which is a universally known symptom is frequent urination due to the excessive glucose in the blood kidneys taking time to filter it out in the form of sugars resulting in frequent urination.

With frequent urination, more water is lost from the body resulting in increased thirst.

Along with increased thirst diabetic patients may have increased hunger due to the cells depriving them of energy and making them feel more hungry.

Unexplained weight loss:

The low metabolism leads to the breakdown of fat and muscle tissues resulting in weight loss. And due to that diabetes patients feel tired and weak.

Vision problems:

Blurry vision is seen in people with diabetes because high levels of sugar cause the lens in the eye to swell.

Slow healing of cuts and wounds, numbness in hands or feet, more susceptibility to infections, and itchy or dry skin are also the main symptoms of diabetes.

DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT, AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR DIABETES 

Diabetes is diagnosed followed by a series of tests by your doctor which include:

Fasting blood sugar test:

You should not eat or drink anything other than water before 8 hours of this test as the glucose molecules from the food won't allow you to check the sugar levels in your body.

Blood sugar test:

This is done to check the sugar levels in the body without fasting.

Haemoglobin A1c test:

It provides average blood glucose levels for the past three months.

To diagnose gestational diabetes oral glucose tolerance test is done between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy.

TREATMENT & PREVENTION

Diabetes treatment involves lifestyle changes such as maintaining a healthy diet, avoiding unhealthy fast foods and carbonated drinks including protein-rich healthy food such as sprouts, and fresh fruits (try to consume fruits more than juices), including bitter gourd into your diet, and eating timely.

Stay physically active and maintain a healthy weight because it is hard to control diabetes in obese people.

Monitor blood sugar levels Maintain a healthy weight by staying physically active through regular exercise or yoga.

Insulin therapy:

People who can not control diabetes through oral medication alone have to take insulin injections to regulate their blood sugar levels. Insulin therapy requires regular monitoring of sugar levels and it is given under proper medical guidance depending on your medical condition.

Limit alcohol consumption and smoking.

Have the oral medication as prescribed by your doctor.

As diabetes is seen in most people across the world and sugar is the main reason for most of your health problems, keep a check on your sugar levels and maintain a healthy lifestyle.