Take Control of Your Diabetes

Don’t let diabetes control you. This is the battle cry of doctors from The Medical City Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism and the Center for Patient Partnership. Diabetes can be controlled and people with the disease can look forward to a long and healthy life if they take measures to avoid complications associated with diabetes.

In a recent lecture on managing diabetes, TMC endocrinologists said these complications could either be short term or long term and could sometimes prove to be fatal. Short term complications include hypoglycemia, ketoacidosis and infections. Hypoglycemia occurs when there is an abnormally low concentration of glucose in the blood. This leads to nervousness, shakiness, weakness or sweatiness, headaches, blurred vision, extreme hunger and unconsciousness.

Ketoacidosis is diabetic coma brought about by high blood glucose and lack of insulin. This leads to nausea, vomiting, dry skin and mouth, flushed face and low blood pressure. Ketoacidosis could be fatal if the patient is not given fluids and insulin right away.

A person with diabetes may also develop infections of bacterial or fungal nature such as styes, boils, athlete’s foot, ringworm and vaginal infections.

Long term complications, on the other hand, may include retinopathy, nephropathy, peripheral vascular disease, neuropathy, foot ulceration/amputation and cardiovascular disease. Retinopathy refers to the disease of the light-sensitive lining at the back of the eye and is the leading cause of blindness and visual impairment in adults in many societies.

Nephropathy, which affects the kidneys, affects one third of people with diabetes. This could lead to kidney failure which may require dialysis or transplantation. If untreated, kidney failure can lead to death.

Peripheral vascular disease, a disease of the large blood vessels of the legs and feet, affects people who have had diabetes for a long time. Symptoms include pain in the calf, thigh, and buttocks with walking.

Neuropathy, a disease of the nerves, leads to pain and lack of sensation in the legs and feet, causing injury and infection and, in severe cases, foot ulceration. This could also cause nerve damage in the heart and lungs and could lead to impotence in men with diabetes.

Foot ulceration occurs because of nerve damage and poor blood supply. Foot ulcers can affect up to 15% of all people with diabetes. In severe cases foot ulcers can require amputation of the foot or lower leg.

Cardiovascular disease could lead to strokes and heart attacks. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease are smoking, hypertension, high cholesterol and obesity.

TMC endocrinologists said these complications can be prevented through these simple measures:

• Take your medications as prescribed by your doctor.
• Have a regular check up with your doctor/endocrinologist
• Monitor your blood sugar closely
• Follow a healthy diet and do not skip meals
• Exercise regularly
• Have an annual eye exam
• Visit your dentist at least every 6 months
• Take care of your feet
• Maintain proper hygiene at all times
• Avoid too much stress

To help educate diabetic patients and their families on how to enjoy life with the disease, a lecture series titled “A Sweet Life: Changing the Face of Diabetes” is conducted at TMC every third Saturday of the month. For more information, call the Center for Patient Partnership at tel. nos. 988-1000 or 988-7000 local 6444.