Diabetes, AIDS and cancer are among the most dangerous diseases on the planet, and worst of all, they tend to spread. Of the three diseases cited, diabetes is the least dangerous.
Detecting diabetes, especially type I diabetes, is relatively easy. If your mouth is dry for the first time and you are thirsty for 24 hours, you must first take a blood test. Deciphering “sugar is the norm” means that your glucose is in the range of 3.3–5.5 mmol / l and therefore the reason for this condition is somewhat different.
Types of diabetes and the difference between them
There are 2 types of diabetes. They have similar symptoms, but they use different treatment methods, which every diabetic should understand.
Type I diabetes develops when insulin in the blood is insufficient or completely absent. This hormone is secreted by pancreatic β-cells
(Langerhans islets) and ensures the penetration of glucose (sugar) from the blood into the cells. If it is not enough or not at all, then the sugar that comes with food cannot be fully absorbed by the cells and circulates in excess, which over time leads to serious complications. This type of diabetes develops mainly in young people and children. The causes of its occurrence are many, but the most significant are viral infection, genetic predisposition and autoimmune pathology.
Type II diabetes develops when there is enough insulin in the blood, but the cells do not perceive it. The so-called insulin resistance develops. The problem is hidden on the surface of the cell membrane, where a specific protein is located - the carrier of glucose into the cell. If this component does not respond to insulin, then it cannot transfer sugar in full.
Adult blood counts and glucose
Sugar level is a relatively constant value. It fluctuates slightly depending on various conditions of the body, but most often it rests on one
level. Often we hear how our friend or neighbor, who has recently had diabetes, complains that they have blood sugar 10, he does not know what to do. This happens for the reason that a person does not quite understand the mechanism for regulating sugar levels during the day.
For both a child and an adult, blood sugar levels of 3.3 to 5.5 mmol / L are considered normal. Some laboratories point to the norm from 4.4 to 6.6, which is associated with the use of a slightly different measurement method (the Hagedorn-Jensen method). Therefore, blood sugar 6 is a normal option. In most foreign clinics, the units of measurement for this indicator are slightly different - it is mg / dl. Therefore, it should be borne in mind that in 1 mmol there is 18 mg / dl of a certain substance in order to decipher the norms of blood tests in adults.
An increase in blood sugar is observed after stress and nervous strain, with hormonal disorders and the consumption of large amounts of high-calorie foods. The mechanism of such a reaction is quite simple. Stress causes the release of stress hormones into the bloodstream, of which cortisol is most important. The latter refers to substances that raise glucose levels to protect the central nervous system from significant loads, which is laid down by evolution. Hormonal disorders are often observed in patients with an endocrinological profile.
In this case, we are interested in an increased level of the so-called
contra-hormonal hormones, which include most of them: adrenaline, cortisol, thyroxine, glucagon, testosterone and others. These compounds with their excessive synthesis provoke an increase in glucose in the blood. High-calorie foods contain a large amount of carbohydrates, which are broken down in the gastrointestinal tract to simple compounds, and then to glucose. In excess, it enters the bloodstream, which determines the development of hyperglycemia.
A decrease in sugar levels is usually observed after starvation and with an excess of insulin in the blood. Limited consumption of food and its low energy value over time leads to weight loss and the need to use other compounds to maintain blood sugar levels. Excess insulin may be due to improper dosage or administration. An elevated hormone level may indicate a pancreatic tumor - an insuloma.
Hyperglycemia and its manifestations
Hyperglycemia should be understood as an increase in glucose. I.e
when its level exceeds 5.5 or 6.6. An increase in glucose concentration can reach high numbers - up to 25 or more, which is very dangerous for the body and can be fatal. This is especially true for a person with diabetes, for whom blood sugar of 12 or more may not cause any changes in well-being.
The state of hyperglycemia often manifests itself at fairly high rates. The patient feels severe thirst and frequent urination, dry mouth, unmotivated general weakness and weight loss appear. Signs of blood sugar can appear as an unclear sensation of crawling on the skin or as frequent fungal or infectious diseases that should be treated for a long time.
Hypoglycemia and its manifestations
A decrease in sugar to 3 mmol / L and below is called hypoglycemia. For a diabetic with experience, even with an indicator on the glucometer 2.0, no changes in the general condition may be noted, which is associated with the adaptation of the body to "sugar" vibrations.
In general, a hypoglycemic state is more dangerous compared to high sugar. Such a danger is caused, firstly, by the rapid dynamics of development and the high probability of loss of consciousness. When the glucose level begins to fall below their normative indicators, patients complain of a feeling of hunger, interruptions in the work of the heart, irritability.
Diabetic glucose rate
For patients living with diabetes, it is extremely rare to achieve sugar levels in a normal person. Therefore, for such patients, limits are set from 5 to 7.2 mmol per liter on an empty stomach and below 10 - 2 hours after eating. If such numbers are kept almost every day, then you minimize the likelihood of complications.
Often patients are interested in the question: how to behave when the blood sugar is 10. What to do, the doctor will tell you the most qualified way, but over the years of life with the disease you will learn how to correctly calculate the dose of insulin or tablets that are needed to lower sugar.
Renal threshold concept
The kidneys are one of the largest filters in the body. The renal filter consists of several floors of cells, which ensure the preservation of necessary and the removal of compounds harmful to the body. Glucose is also a compound that has a specific filtration threshold. It averages 10 mmol / L. This means that if the patient notes glycemia of 10.5 mmol and higher, then traces of sugar can be found in the urine. While with normal glucose, a urinalysis does not detect the appearance of sugar. Therefore, one should not particularly worry when blood sugar is 10. Every experienced diabetic knows what to do: inject the necessary dose of insulin or take a sugar-lowering tablet - glycemia will decrease in 30 minutes.
The concept of "prediabetes"
Type II diabetes mellitus never occurs unexpectedly. Long existing
the level of sugar in the blood provokes the adaptation of cells to high levels of glucose and insulin, which in a few years can provoke a classic picture of the disease. This so-called transition period is called prediabetes. From the point of view of prevention, such a period of time is very important. Timely diagnosed hyperglycemia can not only reduce sugar, but also prevent the development of future pathology.
Diagnosis of prediabetes and the normative indicator for a diabetic
In case of symptoms of hyperglycemia, you should immediately consult a doctor. In addition, it is very important to monitor blood sugar on your own, which is especially important for people over 40. It is simply necessary to take a blood test for sugar at least once every six months, which is of great preventive value.
Quite often, patients say: "I have blood sugar for the first time in my life - 10, what should I do?" The answer may be given by a glucose tolerance test. Such an analysis allows you to clearly determine whether you have prediabetes or already a classic picture of diabetes. The test is performed on an empty stomach. The patient is offered to drink a sugar solution that contains 75 units of glucose. Sugar levels are measured both before the test and 2 hours after it. The blood sugar table below indicates a breakdown of the results.
| Indicator | For prediabetes | For diabetes |
| Fasting sugar | 5.5-7.1 | > 7 |
| Sugar after 2 hours | 7.8-11.0 | > 11.0 |
For a diabetic, the optimal level of sugar fluctuation during the day is from 5 to 7 mmol / l. For a periodic check, you can take a blood test. Deciphering “sugar is the norm” confirms that you are in good control of diabetes.
Diet
Clinical nutrition for both types of diabetes consists in following diet No. 9. It has specific requirements, compliance with which can effectively reduce blood sugar. Treatment with pills or insulin in combination with proper nutrition can achieve good results. With diet No. 9, it is necessary to exclude carbohydrates that are easily digested, and consume enough fiber. The frequency of intake should reach 5 times a day, and 50% of the fats from the daily diet should be of vegetable origin. Calculation of the caloric value of food should be learned by each patient using the appropriate tables for food.