Article: Diabetes responsible for amputations
By Diabetes Affected | November 29, 2008
For those recently afflicted with diabetes, or those with relatives / friends who have diabetes, there is a need to make sure that this disease is regularly monitored, and treatment being taken as per the need. Diabetes can be a bad disease if left untreated and unmonitored; the excess sugar running inside the blood system of the body causes severe damages to the person:
Diabetes is responsible for over 1 million amputations each year. Cardio-vascular disease is the major cause of death accounting for 70% of all diabetes fatalities, said president, DiabetesIndia, S R Arvind.
Arvind said India is the expanding diabetes capital. Over 40 million are suffering from diabetes in the country and it is going to increase multifold in the next 15 years. Unfortunately, there are only 22,000 trained physicians.
India is fast becoming the diabetes capital of the world, with a economy that is expanding, with food that is heavy and oil rich, and with more white collar and service work (meaning a more sedentary lifestyle).
Topics: Growth, Risk, Risk Factors | No Comments »
Increasing incidence of diabetes in the young
By Diabetes Affected | November 20, 2008
Diabetes has been called a lifestyle disease, one that affects people who have moved onto a richer lifestyle (their food has got richer with more starch, more sugar, and lesser amount of direct physical work). As a consequence, the incidence of diabetes in countries (that are moving from a poor state to a state of rapid economic development) is increasing at a rapid pace. India is one such example - there is a huge section of the middle class and upper class that have more money than previously, have a more sedentary lifestyle, and also have aspirations to a richer living model. This would include stuff such as higher consumptions of fatty foods, colas, etc.
This increase in the number of diabetes affected people has many negative implications. Diabetes is currently a non-curable disease, and with a lot of potential complications all over the body. If the number of diabetes affected people in society increases, there will be a much higher need of diabetes treatment for all sections of society, and a much higher level of medical costs. The Government and other bodies should take a note of this trend, and try and educate society as to how to prevent this spread of diabetes from reaching alarming trends:
The fast transition of India to western lifestyle has made the country a hub for the disease and diabetes is fast emerging as one of the most common chronic ailment to affect children. Lifestyle changes and awareness of the disease can help many people to live safely with diabetes. “Obesity and inactivity among children have increased cases of diabetes among people of age 12-20 which was earlier prevalent only in those above 35 years of age,” says Dr Shailesh Lodha, senior consultant endocrinology, Fortis-Escort Hospital.
The incidence of juvenile diabetes caused due to genetic factors in children less than seven years is also rising by nearly 3%, whereas for mature patients it is rising by 5%. Meanwhile, the number of diabetes patients among grown-ups is also rising at a similar pace. Diabetes in itself causes less harm, but it can cause permanent damage to vital organs if remains undiagnosed for a long time.
Diabetes is a disease that has the potential of causing major long term harm to the health of society; and this will happen unless there are a number of measures taken to make society more aware of the need to prevent / control diabetes. The way forward should be to:
1. Educate people to reduce the current rate of people who are contracting diabetes.
2. For those who already have diabetes, they need to be properly aware of the normal safety measures to be taken, and follow them adequately.
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Spray for diabetes approved in India
By Diabetes Affected | November 20, 2008
For people with diabetes, regular and periodic injections of insulin are the way to go. These enable moving the insulin directly to the blood-stream, and is most effective. However, frequent injections is not for everyone, since there is a lot of discomfort involved. Injecting yourself on a regular basis means that you need to find new injection points, and some people complain that it makes them feel like a pin-cushion. A frequent request is for a non-injectible method, either through a pill or through a spray, with a lot of research going in these directions - so one can be sure that there will be a lot more developments in these directions soon.
Here is a spray that has been okayed in India (a huge market for diabetics related medicines), but not yet in the United States:
Diabetes patients on insulin, suffering from acute injection phobia, have an alternative with the launch of Oral-Recosulin, a recombinant DNA human insulin buccal spray. The spray, which is on phase-3 trial and yet to be launched in the US, has been approved for marketing in India
For the treatment of both Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes, Oral-Recosulin can be used. This buccal insulin spray is developed by Shreya Life Science Pvt Ltd’s US collaborator Generex Biotechnology. Buccal spray delivers insulin through buccal mucosa, directly to the vascular system without entering the lungs.
Diabetes is a disease that is long lasting, currently non-curable, and hence attempts to make treatment pain free have a double benefit of being very attractive from a commercial sense as well as making the treatment more bearable.
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Modern obesity trends pushing up diabetes rate
By Diabetes Affected | November 4, 2008
Diabetes has been called a modern day lifestyle disease; part of the reasons for the occurrence of diabetes is a sedentary life, rich food and very little exercise. This lifestyle results in a higher incidence of obesity or over-weight, something that increases the chance of contracting Type 2 diabetes. In recent years, the rate of obesity has increased, and a recent study shows that this increase in obesity is causing an increase in the number of Type 2 diabetes cases that are being reported:
The nation’s obesity epidemic is exacting a heavy toll: The rate of new diabetes cases nearly doubled in the United States in the past 10 years, the government said Thursday. The highest rates were in the South, according to the first state-by-state review of new diagnoses. The worst was in West Virginia, where about 13 in 1,000 adults were diagnosed with the disease in 2005-07. The lowest was in Minnesota, where the rate was 5 in 1,000.
Roughly 90 percent of cases are Type 2 diabetes, the form linked to obesity.
The findings dovetail with trends seen in obesity and lack of exercise — two health measures where Southern states also rank at the bottom. Diabetes was the nation’s seventh-leading cause of death in 2006, according to the CDC. More than 23 million Americans have diabetes, and the number is rapidly growing.
Diabetes is a disease that is untreatable, and is a big pain due to the constant care required for the disease. If left untreated, and if suger levels remain high, afflicted people start getting complications.
Topics: Explanation, Research, Risk Factors, Type 2 | No Comments »
Link between diabetes and TB: News article
By Diabetes Affected | October 26, 2008
Having a high level of Blood Sugar when you have Type 2 diabetes has been blamed for a number of problems; now research shows that there is an increased propensity to catch Tuber Culosis if you have Type 2 diabetes (especially if your sugar levels are high). This study is based on research carried by researchers at The University of Texas School of Public Health Brownsville Regional Campus on a number of patients. The reason ? Patients with Type 2 diabetes and an enhanced blood sugar level have a more compromised immune system, allowing them to catch TB more easily.
Similary, once they have both Type 2 Diabetes, and TB, they are at a higher risk of having multi-drug resistant TB, and of having a much slower response to the drugs needed to fight TB.
WASHINGTON: Researchers at The University of Texas School of Public Health Brownsville Regional Campus say that patients with Type 2 diabetes may be at increased risk of contracting tuberculosis because they generally have a compromised immune system, which results in life-threatening lung infections that are more difficult to treat.
Dr. Blanca I. Restrepo, assistant professor of epidemiology, said that her team found that innate and type 1 cytokine responses were significantly higher in patients with tuberculosis who had diabetes than in the control group of patients with TB and no diabetes. The effect was consistently and significantly more marked in diabetic patients with chronic hyperglycemia, or uncontrolled high blood sugar, said the researcher. The team said that their findings also showed that patients with diabetes were more at risk of developing multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. The researchers said that they had observed that almost six percent of diabetics living along the Texas-Mexico border had TB that was resistant to rifampin and isoniazid, common medications for tuberculosis.
If this research is shown to be true, it will lead to changes in the recommendations made by doctors treating patients who have a high level of Blood Sugar. It would also lead to a change in the current profile of people stated to be at a higher risk of TB; more elderly people would be at risk and would need to be periodically screened for TB if they already have diabetes (and more so if they have a long running cough).
Topics: Complications, Research, Type 2 | No Comments »
Diabetes insipidus - complications
By Diabetes Affected | October 5, 2008
In most cases, if you are able to drink enough water as required due to the disease, and are able to urinate in the quantities that are associated with this disease, then you should not face any significant effects on either body fluids or on your salt balance in the body. However, if you are not taking the required intake of water, then you stand to face the following complications:
Dehydration
- Dry skin
- Dry mucus membranes
- Fever
- Rapid heart rate
- Sunken appearance to eyes
- Sunken fontanelles (soft spot) in infants
- Unintentional weight loss
- Low blood pressure (hypotension)
Electrolyte imbalance
- Fatigue, lethargy
- Headache
- Irritability
- Muscle pains
For understanding the mortality rate associated with DI, here’s a correct analysis:
Even if untreated, DI does not cause death or reduce life expectancy as long as enough water is being drunk by the patient. Suppose the patient gets into a situation where the an adequate supply of water is not available, then problems will arise. This can happen, for example, if the patient loses consciousness, is unable to talk or move about, or is stranded in the desert or ocean (sea water is undrinkable). Therefore, it is a good idea always to carry a medical alert bracelet or card and to take extra precautions to carry extra water as well as medication when traveling in areas in which either may be difficult to obtain.
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Diabetes Insipidus - Diagnosis
By Diabetes Affected | October 5, 2008
Diabetes Insipidus is not the same as the Diabetes Mellitus that we hear of so regularly. However, given the impact it has on affected people (the kidneys are unable to concentrate urine, causing excessive urination and extreme thirst), it is important that the disease is diagnosed early and accurately.
In order to distinguish DI from other causes of excess urination, blood glucose levels, bicarbonate levels, and calcium levels need to be tested. Measurement of blood electrolytes can reveal a high sodium level (hypernatremia as dehydration develops). Urinalysis demonstrates a dilute urine with a low specific gravity. Urine osmolarity and electrolyte levels are typically low. Urinalysis is the physical and chemical examination of urine. The urine of a person with DI will be less concentrated. Therefore, the salt and waste concentrations are low and the amount of water excreted is high. A physician evaluates the concentration of urine by measuring how many particles are in a kilogram of water or by comparing the weight of the urine with an equal volume of distilled water. To put this in detailed form; Some of the tests that doctors commonly use to determine the type of diabetes insipidus and in some cases, its cause, include:
1. Water deprivation test. This test helps determine the cause of diabetes insipidus. You’ll be asked to stop drinking fluids two to three hours before the test so that your doctor can measure changes in your body weight, urine output and urine composition when fluids are withheld. In some cases your doctor may also measure blood levels of ADH during this test.
2. The water deprivation test is performed under close supervision in children and in pregnant women to make sure no more than 5 percent of body weight is lost during the test.
3. Urinalysis. Urinalysis is the physical and chemical examination of urine. If your urine is less concentrated (meaning the amount of water excreted is high and the salt and waste concentrations are low), it could be due to diabetes insipidus.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. An MRI of the head is a noninvasive procedure that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to construct detailed pictures of brain tissues. Your doctor may want to perform an MRI to look for abnormalities in or near the pituitary gland.
Just to keep in mind, the following is the profile of people likely to have a greater chance of contracting this problem.
- Diabetes insipidus most frequently occurs in persons in their 20s, more often in males than females.
- The disorder may run in families, though the cause is unknown.
- Diabetes insipidus can occur after an injury to the head; brain surgery; cancer; sarcoidosis, causing destruction of the pituitary gland; the use of certain medications that decrease ADH production; excessive use of alcohol; and any condition or illness that causes decreased oxygen delivery to the brain.
- Diabetes insipidus may also occur in women who are pregnant or have just given birth, and in patients with AIDS who have suffered certain types of brain infections.
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Diabetes Insipidus - Types
By Diabetes Affected | October 5, 2008
There are several types of Diabetes Inspidus (4 principal types). All of them have different causes and must be treated in their own different ways. For a slightly better understanding on these different types of Diabetes Inspidus (DI), read on:
- Neurogenic DI also known as central, hypothalamic, pituitary or neurohypophyseal is caused by a deficiency of the antidiuretic hormone, vasopressin. The most common form of serious DI, central DI, results from damage to the pituitary gland, which disrupts the normal storage and release of ADH. Damage to the pituitary gland can be caused by different diseases as well as by head injuries, neurosurgery, or genetic disorders.
- Nephrogenic DI also known as vasopressin-resistant. It is caused by insensitivity of the kidneys to the effect of the antidiuretic hormone, vasopressin. Nephrogenic DI results when the kidneys are unable to respond to ADH. The kidneys’ ability to respond to ADH can be impaired by drugs—like lithium, for example—and by chronic disorders including polycystic kidney disease, sickle cell disease, kidney failure, partial blockage of the ureters, and inherited genetic disorders. Sometimes the cause of nephrogenic DI is never discovered.
- Dipsogenic DI is a form of primary polydipsia. It is caused by abnormal thirst and the excessive intake of water or other liquids. Dipsogenic DI is caused by a defect in or damage to the thirst mechanism, which is located in the hypothalamus. This defect results in an abnormal increase in thirst and fluid intake that suppresses ADH secretion and increases urine output. Desmopressin or other drugs should not be used to treat dipsogenic DI because they may decrease urine output but not thirst and fluid intake. This fluid overload can lead to water intoxication, a condition that lowers the concentration of sodium in the blood and can seriously damage the brain.
- Gestagenic DI also known as gestational. It is caused by a deficiency of the antidiuretic hormone, vasopressin, that occurs only during pregnancy. Gestational DI occurs only during pregnancy and results when an enzyme made by the placenta destroys ADH in the mother. The placenta is the system of blood vessels and other tissue that develops with the fetus. The placenta allows exchange of nutrients and waste products between mother and fetus.
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Diabetes Insipidus (DI) - What is it !
By Diabetes Affected | October 5, 2008
Diabetes insipidus is a metabolic disorder that causes the patient to produce enormous quantities of urine accompanied by excessive thirst. DI should not be confused with diabetes mellitus, which results from insulin deficiency or resistance. Diabetes insipidus and diabetes mellitus are unrelated, although they can have similar signs and symptoms, like excessive thirst and urination. When you hear the term “diabetes insipidus” you may assume it’s related to what’s commonly known as “sugar” diabetes, or diabetes mellitus. While the disorders share a name and have some common signs, in fact diabetes mellitus (type 1 and type 2) and diabetes insipidus are unrelated.
Symptoms of diabetes insipidus are quite similar to those of untreated diabetes mellitus, with the distinction that the urine is not sweet as it does not contain glucose and there is no hyperglycemia (elevated blood glucose). Blurred vision is a rarity. Signs of dehydration may also appear in some individuals since the body cannot conserve much (if any) of the water it takes in.
The body has a complex system for balancing the volume and composition of body fluids. The kidneys remove extra body fluids from the bloodstream. These fluids are stored in the bladder as urine. If the fluid regulation system is working properly, the kidneys make less urine to conserve fluid when water intake is decreased or water is lost, for example, through sweating or diarrhea. The kidneys also make less urine at night when the body’s metabolic processes are slower.
Diabetes insipidus is caused by the inability of the kidneys to conserve water, which leads to frequent urination and pronounced thirst. Diabetes insipidus (DI) is an uncommon condition that occurs when the kidneys are unable to conserve water as they perform their function of filtering blood. The amount of water conserved is controlled by antidiuretic hormone (ADH), also called vasopressin.
To make up for lost water, a person with DI may feel the need to drink large amounts and is likely to urinate frequently, even at night, which can disrupt sleep and, on occasion, cause bedwetting. Because of the excretion of abnormally large volumes of dilute urine, people with DI may quickly become dehydrated if they do not drink enough water. Children with DI may be irritable or listless and may have fever, vomiting, or diarrhea. Milder forms of DI can be managed by drinking enough water, usually between 2 and 2.5 liters a day. DI severe enough to endanger a person’s health is rare.
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Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia
By Diabetes Affected | October 5, 2008
People who have diabetes can have either problems that are due to too much high blood sugar or too low blood sugar. Either condition is not ideal, and can cause problems. One needs to have a balance for the level of blood sugar. It’s important to test blood glucose levels regularly to avoid low or high blood glucose.
Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia): Your blood sugar level can drop for many reasons, including skipping a meal, getting more physical activity than normal or injecting too much insulin. Symptoms of low blood sugar can come along very quickly, and they can include:
- cold sweats
- fast heartbeat
- hunger
- lightheadedness
- numbness of the tongue and lips
- shakiness
Later signs and symptoms include slurred speech, drowsiness and confusion.
If you develop hypoglycemia during the night, you might wake with sweat-soaked pajamas or a headache. Thanks to a natural rebound effect, nighttime hypoglycemia might cause an unusually high blood sugar reading first thing in the morning.
If you have signs or symptoms of low blood sugar, eat or drink something that will quickly raise your blood sugar level — fruit juice, glucose tablets, hard candy, regular (not diet) soda or another source of sugar. If you lose consciousness, a family member or close contact may need to give you an emergency injection of glucagon, a hormone that stimulates the release of sugar into the blood.
High blood sugar (hyperglycemia): In contrast, symptoms of high blood sugar (such as thirst, dry itchy skin, or blurred vision) usually come on slowly and can be brought on by circumstances such as taking too little insulin, eating too much food, or during stressful times or illness. A serious condition called ketoacidosis can occur when blood glucose stays too high. It mainly affects people with type 1 diabetes and can be very dangerous if left untreated.
Your blood sugar level can rise for many reasons, including eating too much, being sick or not taking enough insulin. Check your blood sugar level often, and watch for signs and symptoms of high blood sugar — frequent urination, increased thirst, dry mouth, blurred vision, fatigue and nausea. If you have hyperglycemia, you’ll need to adjust your meal plan, medications or both. If your blood sugar level is persistently above 250 mg/dL, consult your doctor right away or seek emergency care. You might have diabetic hyperosmolar syndrome, a life-threatening condition in which sky-high blood sugar causes blood to become thick and syrupy.
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