Diabetes Management Devices

When people with diabetes can control their blood sugar (glucose), they are more likely to stay healthy. People with diabetes use two kinds of management devices:

• Glucose meters help people with diabetes check their blood sugar at home, school, work, and play.
• Diabetes management tests. Blood and urine tests reveal trends in diabetes management and help identify diabetes complications.

Without good control of blood sugar, diabetes can cause life-threatening events, such as severe hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, ketoacidosis and even coma. Every person with diabetes can do several things to help control their blood glucose:

• Blood glucose testing
• Taking insulin via injection or an insulin pump
• Eat a healthy diet
• Get daily physical exercise
• Take diabetes medications as prescribed
• Check your feet daily
• Don’t smoke

The goal of diabetes management is to keep blood glucose levels as close to the normal range as possible. Thus, people with diabetes must learn to self-test their blood sugar on a regular basis. There are a number of aids and devices that are available to help people with diabetes control their insulin levels. Some of the diabetes supplies that a diabetic may need are:

• Insulin syringes
• Insulin pens
• Blood glucose monitors
• Lancing devices
• Lancets
• Test strips for measuring blood sugar in the urine.

Diabetes care should be designed for each individual patient. Some patients may need to test (monitor) more often than others do. How often you use your glucose meter should be based on the recommendation of your health care provider. Self-monitoring of blood glucose is recommended for all people with diabetes, but especially for those who take insulin. The role of self-monitoring of blood has not been defined for people with stable type 2 diabetes treated only with diet.

Your pharmacist can help you in deciding which product is right for you . Each product has its advantages (e.g. some devices require less blood and are more comfortable).

Diabetes Medicare Coverage

Every state has a responsibility to its citizens. The US government does this by providing Medicare, the country’s insurance program. People may avail of Medicare health insurance ages 65 or older. There are however, cases wherein some individuals are given the privilege in particular to the permanently disabled.

Such program is very beneficial to individuals since having a Medicard helps with the cost of health though it does not cover the whole medical treatments. Medicare is paid in portion by taxes from payrolls by both workers and employers. Moreover, those deductions in your Social Security check goes to Medicare.

In 2006, President George Bush, gave importance to health care needs of seniors by signing the law updating Medicare. Hence, all Medicare and future Medicare members have the privilege of Medicare drug coverage assisting beneficiaries to pay for prescription drugs, beneficiaries can choose among a variety of plan, beneficiaries with high expenses are given extra special attention and advantage, and most especially Medicare can assist those coming from the low-income beneficiaries.

Individuals with diabetes enrolled in Medicare are fortunate to have the benefit of seeking treatment without shouldering all the expenses. The following are Medicare’s coverage of diabetes supplies and services taken from the medicare.gov.

Diabetic supplies:

Self-testing equipment and supplies

Medicare Part B covered diabetes supplies: Coverage for glucose monitors, test strips, and lancets. All people with Medicare who have diabetes are covered (insulin users and non-users).Medicare covers the same supplies for people with diabetes whether or not they use insulin. These include glucose testing monitors, blood glucose test strips, lancet devices and lancets, and glucose control solutions.

There may be some limits on supplies or how often you get them. For more information about diabetic supplies, call your Durable Medical Equipment Regional Carrier. To get your diabetes equipment and supplies under Medicare, you need a prescription from your doctor. The prescription should say:

• You have been diagnosed with diabetes.
• How many test strips and lancets you need in a month.
• What kind of meter you need. For example, if you need a special meter for vision problems, the doctor should say that and state the medical reason why you need a special meter.
• Whether you use insulin or not.
• How often you should test your blood sugar.

Points to remember :

• Ask your doctor or health care provider if regular blood sugar testing is right for you.
• You need a prescription from your doctor to get your diabetes equipment and supplies under Medicare.
• Learn the correct way to use your blood sugar meter properly. Your pharmacist, doctor, diabetes educator, or another health care provider can help you.
• Keep track of your blood sugar readings and share them with your doctor or health care provider at regular visits.
• Do not accept shipments of diabetes equipment and supplies that you did not ask for.

Therapeutic shoes

Medicare also covers therapeutic shoes for people with diabetes. Medicare covers depth-inlay shoes, custom-molded shoes and shoe inserts for people with diabetes who qualify under Medicare Part B. Your doctor must certify that you:

• Have diabetes;
• Have one or more of the following conditions in one or both feet;
• history of partial or complete foot amputation;
• history of previous foot ulcers;
• history of callus that could lead to ulcers;
• peripheral neuropathy with signs that you have problems with calluses;
• poor circulation;
• foot deformity .

Are being treated under a comprehensive diabetes care plan and need therapeutic shoes and/or inserts because of diabetes. In the Original Medicare Plan Medicare pays for 80% of the Medicare-approved amount. You pay 20% of the total payment amount. This amount can be higher if your doctor doesn’t accept assignment, and you may have to pay the entire amount at the time of service. Medicare will then send you its share of the charge.

Referrals for more information (DMERC)

If you have questions about durable medical equipment, including diabetic supplies, call your Durable Medical Equipment Regional Carrier.

Diabetes services:

Diabetes self-management training

Medicare Part B covered preventive services; diabetes self-management training. In the Original Medicare Plan, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the yearly Part B deductible.

Medical nutrition therapy services

Medicare coverage; medical nutrition therapy services are covered for people with diabetes (or kidney disease) when referred by a doctor. These services can be given by a registered dietician or nutrition professional and include diet counseling and therapy services to help you manage your diabetes. In the Original Medicare Plan, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the yearly Part B deductible.

Flu and pneumoccocal pneumonia shots (vaccinations)

Medicare Part B covered preventive services;
Flu Shot – Once a year in the fall or winter. Pneumoccocal Pneumonia Shot – One shot may be all you ever need. Ask your doctor. All people with Medicare are covered. In the Original Medicare Plan, you pay nothing for flu and pneumoccocal pneumonia shots if the health care provider accepts assignment.

Glaucoma screening

Medicare Part B covered preventive services: Once every 12 months. Must be done or supervised by an eye doctor who is legally allowed to do this service in your state. Cover people with Medicare who are at high risk for glaucoma, including people with diabetes or family history of glaucoma.In the Original Medicare Plan, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the yearly Part B deductible.

Health is a precious gift. Unluckily for some people, they do not take pleasure on having a healthy body, hence some in the course neglect health only to be sorry when everything is already late.

As one ages, health complications are unavoidable. Entropy kicks in our body making us feel sick some way or the other. Luckily, the government has given attention to the increasing need of seniors in terms of availing health treatments.

Traveling with Diabetes

People living with diabetes should travel with utmost care, as changes in meal patterns, activity levels, and even time zones can affect their blood sugar levels. Keep in mind these helpful reminders to make traveling with diabetes easier.

Preparation – Before traveling, make sure to consult with your health care provider and discuss your travel plans. Have immunization shots three to four weeks before you travel. You should also inform the airline in advance about your condition. Pack twice as many supplies needed to travel, as well as extra prescriptions and a letter from your doctor stating that you have diabetes. Take note of what health facilities are available in your destination, just in case.

What to bring – For starters, bring a piece of paper containing your doctor’s name and phone number as well as a list of current medicines. Keep your medicines, syringes, blood sugar testing supplies, all oral medications, and even something sweet in a carry-on luggage (never put them in your check-in luggage). Make sure to bring enough medicines and medical supplies to last an extra week in case you get stranded. A sugar source is needed in case you develop hypoglycemia.

At the airport – Always inform security that you are diabetic and that you are carrying medical supplies. If you are wearing an insulin pump, request to security that the meter not be removed. Also, check out the Transportation Security Administration website to see what you can take on board.

Insulin injections while traveling – Taking insulin injections while in an airplane has one difference: put only half as much air into your insulin bottle as you normally to prevent the plunger of the needle from resisting your efforts to inject air into the insulin bottle. Keep your insulin in temperature between 33 degrees F and 80 degrees F. Do not freeze or expose your insulin to direct sunlight. You also need to adjust your insulin dosage when crossing time zones, taking shots every four hours until your body has adjusted.

Foot care while traveling – Pack at least two pairs of shoes so you can change foot wear often. This prevents blisters and sore pressure points. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes and socks. Bring a first-aid kit in case you suffer minor foot injuries. Never go barefoot or wear open-toe shoes and sandals, instead wear special foot wear made for ocean or beach walking.

Coping with emergency – In case an emergency occurs and you do not know where to go, try contacting the American consulate, the Red Cross, or a local medical school. Learn phrases in the local language like "I need help" or "I have diabetes, where is the hospital" or "I need sugar."

Source: Web MD

Myths About Diabetes

Despite the wide array of information about diabetes, many people still have little or no knowledge about this condition. And with many so-called truths going around, it is important to dispel any myths about diabetes.

Diabetes is not that serious of a disease – Diabetes is not like common colds. It has caused more death annually compared to breast cancer and AID combined. In fact, two out of three people suffering from diabetes die from heart disease or stroke.

Overweight and obese people will eventually develop type 2 diabetes – Excess weight is a risk factor for developing the disease. However, there are other factors that should be considered such as family history, ethnicity, and age. Most overweight people actually do not develop type 2 diabetes. In contrast, many people with type 2 diabetes are at normal weight or moderately overweight.

Eating too much sugar causes diabetes – Contrary to popular belief, eating sugar does not develop into diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is caused by genetics and factors that still baffle scientists to this day, while type 2 diabetes is caused by genetics and lifestyle factors such as being overweight.

People with diabetes should eat special diabetic foods – In fact, a simple healthy eating plan is enough for people living with diabetes. It should be low in saturated and trans fat, moderate in salt and sugar, more whole grains, vegetables, and fruit. Do not be mislead by diabetic or dietetic foods, as they could still raise blood sugar levels, not to mention more expensive than regular foods.

Diabetic people should only eat small amounts of starchy foods – Avoiding starchy foods like bread, potatoes, and pasta is not part of a healthy diet. What is important is to control the portion size. For people with diabetes, three to four servings of carbohydrates is enough.

People with diabetes are not supposed to eat sweets or chocolate – As long as they are eaten moderately and combined with exercise, sweets and desserts can be eaten by people with diabetes.

You can catch diabetes from someone else – Although the exact reason why we get diabetes is still unknown, it is certain that it is not contagious like flu or common cold.

Diabetic people are more likely to get colds and other illnesses – Having diabetes does not increase the chances of contracting other diseases. However, people with diabetes are advised to get flu shots because any illness can make diabetes more difficult to manage.

People with type 2 diabetes who are taking insulin failed in taking care of their diabetes properly – For most people, type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease. At first, they can keep their blood sugar levels at a healthy level. However, as the body gradually produces less of its own insulin, even oral medications may not be enough to keep the blood sugar levels normal, which is why they may resort to taking insulin shots.

Source: American Diabetes Association

Eye Exams Can Provide Early Warnings of Diabete

Do you know that diabetes can be detected even before the disease could completely take over your body? Ophthalmologists claim that a simple eye examination can detect early signs of diabetes.

The ophthalmologist examines your retina-the light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye-and check for signs of bleeding outside of the blood vessels inside your eye, a sign of diabetic retinopathy. If left untreated, this damage could lead to permanent blindness.

However, a simple laser treatment may help prevent further loss of vision, although it cannot cure diabetic retinopathy completely. The laser travels through the eye and hits the retina, creating a minute amount of heat enough to cauterize the retina.

If your family has a history of diabetes or you are over 45 years of age, ophthalmologists recommend that you undergo a complete eye examination to look for signs of diabetic retinopathy.

Source: WCBD-TV

Common Diabetes Myths – Part 1

The reality is that diabetes is something serious. It can be hard on the families because they are called to cope with an array of adjustments that will mostly be permanent for the rest of their lives.

It will only be appropriate for the diabetic or people who might get the disease to know and discover the facts behind the disease. There are different things that ever person should know regarding the disease and here are just some of the myths that this articles wishes to dispel:

Myth 1: Whatever a diabetic does to take care of his condition, if he or she has had diabetes for years, complications will ultimately happen.

The different mechanisms that causes complications in diabetics have not yet been understood. And what’s more is the degree to which they develop greatly differs from individual to individual. The only tried and tested method by which one can reduce the risk of developing complications is a rigid control of one’s sugar intake although this particular method still remains unpredictable. Research shows that there are some people who have a genetic predisposition towards complications of type 1 diabetes.

Myth 2: Diabetics cannot engage in exercise

Some people think that if you have diabetes, you are automatically forbidden to engage in athletics. Quite the contrary. The opposite is actually true. If a person has diabetes, it is very important that the person engages in regular exercises. The physical fitness of a person who has diabetes is very important and it has been known to help lower one’s blood sugar level and maintain them in the proper range.

History is littered with popular and timeless examples of people who have had tremendous success even though they were diagnosed as diabetics. A few examples of these people are Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer, Gary Hall and hockey legend Bobby Clarke. Therefore the myth that people with diabetes shouldn’t exercise at all does not have any truth with it.

Myth 3: Only children can have Type 1 Diabetes

Whoever said that children are the only ones which can have type 1 diabetes or "juvenile onset" diabetes did not have their facts straight. While it is true that juvenile diabetes is more commonly first diagnosed in young adults, children and teenagers, it is still possible that people may develop Type 1 diabetes at any age.

Myth 4: Children are unable to get Type 2 Diabetes

This is the myth at the other end of the spectrum of the above myth. Even though type 2 diabetes is ordinarily diagnosed in adults, a diabetes epidemic which is caused increased obesity have led to young adults and children under 10 years old having type 2 diabetes. However, the more regular form of diabetes that children will get is type 1 diabetes.

These are just some of the myths that most people know about this particular disease. It is important that people know the truth and get their facts straight so that they would be able to properly respond to the disease and act accordingly towards fighting it.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease in which your body cannot properly store and use fuel for energy. The fuel that your body needs is called glucose. Glucose comes from foods such as breads, cereals, pasta, rice, potatoes, fruits and some vegetables. To use glucose, your body needs insulin. Insulin is made by a gland in your body called the pancreas.

You have diabetes because either:

• Your body makes too little or no insulin. This is called type 1 diabetes; or
• Your body can’t use the insulin it makes. This is called type 2 diabetes.

With little or no insulin, glucose builds up in your blood instead of being used for energy. This causes high blood glucose levels. When this happens, you may:

• Feel tired;
• Be thirsty;
• Urinate often
• Be hungry;
• Be moody.

You may also:

• Lose weight;
• Have blurry vision;
• Get infections Over the long term, abnormally high blood glucose levels can lead to conditions called either impaired glucose tolerance, impaired fasting glucose, or diabetes. These conditions, when left untreated, can lead to:
• kidney failure;
• heart disease;
• impotence;
• Blindness;
• amputation

Whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, by keeping your blood glucose levels in a target range determined by your doctor, you can reduce your risk of complications and live a long and healthy life. Your doctor will tell you what type of diabetes you have and what you need to do.

Common Diabetes Myths – Part 2

The first part of the diabetes myths tackled the some of the common preconceived notions about diabetes and how it affects children. This article is a continuation of the dispelling of the different myths that people might have of the dreaded disease. Whatever myths that you are holding onto regarding diabetes, read on first. You might learn a thing or two about what the disease is really about.

Myth 1: If diabetics take insulin, their condition will be cured.

Taking insulin is only for maintenance. The insulin that a person takes does not cure him or her from the dreaded disease. It only keeps the person alive but it does not take away the disease. Even though research and discoveries regarding a cure for the disease has improved by leaps and bounds, a remedy for the disease remains undiscovered. So the myth that diabetics will soon be cured if they regularly take enough insulin is not true.

Myth 2: Diabetes is caused by eating too much sugar.

The increased consumption of sugar in one’s diet has not been scientifically proven to cause diabetes. Scientific evidence actually has determined that diets which are high in sugar do not directly cause diabetes. There are people who have had high-sugar diets whose blood sugar levels have remained the same.

The one thing that went through the roof was their insulin level. The person’s pancreas was overexerting itself to try and manage the person’s blood sugar at that level. Despite the sugar binge, the pancreas tried to cope with the increased sugar intake and the person’s blood sugar level stayed level.

One of the things that could be an indirect reaction to this is that, if a person would constantly tax their pancreas at that level, they might develop insulin resistance which will eventually result to them putting on weight.

Myth 3: If a person who has diabetes abides by a strict diet and exercise strategy while closely monitoring his or her blood sugar levels through daily multiple insulin injections, they will be able to have complete control over their blood sugar levels.

There are people who think that as long as they are able to strictly follow their strict low-sugar diets and continuously take in insulin, that they will be able to control their blood glucose levels. This is not entirely true.

While the most effective strategy to achieve and maintain a solid control of one’s blood sugar is through a good diet and a good exercise plan, this plan does not necessarily promise to deliver optimal results in controlling one’s blood sugar level.

There are several factors which may contribute to a spike in a person’s blood sugar level. Some of these are periods of growth, illnesses, hormone changes or increased stress levels. All of these contribute to the increase of one’s blood sugaar levels and may be the trigger for diabetes in a person.

These are just some of the myths that one should know about regarding the dreaded disease of diabetes. It is recommended that you consult with your doctor in order to get your facts straight and also have yourself checked if you are a candidate for this particular disease. After all, a ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.

High-Risk Pool Insurance for Diabetics

Many diabetics across America are deprived of health insurance simply because insurers do not cover diabetes in their insurance policies. However, diabetic people can still avail for a health insurance through the "high-risk pool" program.

Thirty states has established high-risk pools that offer health insurance coverage to residents who are "uninsurable" because private insurers might turn down their applications due to their health status. This includes people who suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes.

High-risk pools usually offer coverage that is similar to those sold by private insurers. However, in some states, high-risk pool benefits are limited. For instance, high-risk pools impose high deductibles or limit coverage for certain services like mental health care or maternity care. And like private insurance companies, high-risk pools have a waiting period between 6 and 12 months.

The down part about high-risk pools is that they are more expensive than individual insurance. Premiums are 1.5 to 2 times higher than those charged by private insurance companies. And like insurance from private companies, premiums are higher for older people.

If you are interested to apply for a high-risk pool, you need to make sure that you are eligible to be part of this government program. Those who have been rejected, or had their benefits reduced, from a health insurer because of a qualifying condition are more likely to be accepted into program. However, you need to apply as soon as possible because some states limit the number of enrollees in the high-risk pool based on the availability of funds. To find out if your state offers a high-risk pool, check out the health insurance consumer guide by Georgetown University, as well as on Diabetes.org.

High-Risk Pool Insurance for Diabetics

Many diabetics across America are deprived of health insurance simply because insurers do not cover diabetes in their insurance policies. However, diabetic people can still avail for a health insurance through the "high-risk pool" program.

Thirty states has established high-risk pools that offer health insurance coverage to residents who are "uninsurable" because private insurers might turn down their applications due to their health status. This includes people who suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes.

High-risk pools usually offer coverage that is similar to those sold by private insurers. However, in some states, high-risk pool benefits are limited. For instance, high-risk pools impose high deductibles or limit coverage for certain services like mental health care or maternity care. And like private insurance companies, high-risk pools have a waiting period between 6 and 12 months.

The down part about high-risk pools is that they are more expensive than individual insurance. Premiums are 1.5 to 2 times higher than those charged by private insurance companies. And like insurance from private companies, premiums are higher for older people.

If you are interested to apply for a high-risk pool, you need to make sure that you are eligible to be part of this government program. Those who have been rejected, or had their benefits reduced, from a health insurer because of a qualifying condition are more likely to be accepted into program. However, you need to apply as soon as possible because some states limit the number of enrollees in the high-risk pool based on the availability of funds. To find out if your state offers a high-risk pool, check out the health insurance consumer guide by Georgetown University, as well as on Diabetes.org.

Buying Individual Insurance for Diabetics

Not many are lucky enough to be insured either by the company they work for or through public programs like Medicare, which is why they resort to buying individual insurance coverage. However, not all insurance companies are willing to provide coverage for chronic diseases like diabetes. But there are ways to be able to purchase health insurance despite the obstacles being faced by diabetics.

In the case of the United States, it is the states that regulate the individual health insurance market. Each state has its own set of laws as to who can purchase and what is included in the insurance coverage. Many states, however, let individual insurers decide whether to sell coverage based on the health status, prior medical history, age, gender, and other characteristics of applicants. This practice, called "medical underwriting," is where a lot of people get rejected either from chronic diseases like diabetes and HIV to even common ailments like acne.

Some states, meanwhile, consider medical underwriting as an illegal activity. All individual health insurance policies in these states must be sold on a "guaranteed issue" basis with a single "community rate" as premium. This means that insurance companies must never turn down any application for insurance, as well as charge premiums, based on their health status.

In other states, only a certain number of residents who have fulfilled a set of criteria (such as having continuous insurance coverage) are allowed to have guarantee-issued individual health insurance. Meanwhile, a few other states designate one or more insurance companies as an "insurer of last resort," who must provide guarantee-issued coverage.

To know the laws concerning the individual health insurance in your state and where you can look to obtain coverage, contact the office of your state insurance commissioner. You may also want to check out the health insurance coverage guide by Georgetown University.

Source: American Diabetes Association

What Is Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs only during pregnancy. Like other forms of diabetes, gestational diabetes affects the way your body uses sugar (glucose) – your body’s main source of fuel. The result may be dangerously high blood sugar levels. Pregnant women who have never had diabetes before but who have high blood sugar (glucose) levels during pregnancy are said to have gestational diabetes.

What are the cause of gestional diabetes?

We don’t know what causes gestational diabetes, but we have some clues. The placenta supports the baby as it grows. Hormones from the placenta help the baby develop. But these hormones also block the action of the mother’s insulin in her body. This problem is called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes it hard for the mother’s body to use insulin. She may need up to three times as much insulin.

What are the risk factors?

Age. Women older than age 25 are more likely to develop gestational diabetes.

Family or personal history. Your risk of developing gestational diabetes increases if you have prediabetes a precursor to type 2 diabetes or a close family member, such as a parent or sibling, has type 2 diabetes. You’re also more likely to develop gestational diabetes if you had it during a previous pregnancy, if you delivered a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds, or if you had an unexplained stillbirth.

Weight. You’re more likely to develop gestational diabetes if you’re overweight before pregnancy.

Race. For reasons that aren’t clear, women who are black, Hispanic, American Indian or Asian are more likely to develop gestational diabetes than are other women.

How Gestational Diabetes Can Affect Your Baby

Gestational diabetes affects the mother in late pregnancy, after the baby’s body has been formed, but while the baby is busy growing. Because of this, gestational diabetes does not cause the kinds of birth defects sometimes seen in babies whose mothers had diabetes before pregnancy.

However, untreated or poorly controlled gestational diabetes can hurt your baby. When you have gestational diabetes, your pancreas works overtime to produce insulin, but the insulin does not lower your blood glucose levels.

Although insulin does not cross the placenta, glucose and other nutrients do. So extra blood glucose goes through the placenta, giving the baby high blood glucose levels. This causes the baby’s pancreas to make extra insulin to get rid of the blood glucose. Since the baby is getting more energy than it needs to grow and develop, the extra energy is stored as fat.

This can lead to macrosomia, or a “fat” baby. Babies with macrosomia face health problems of their own, including damage to their shoulders during birth. Because of the extra insulin made by the baby’s pancreas, newborns may have very low blood glucose levels at birth and are also at higher risk for breathing problems. Babies with excess insulin become children who are at risk for obesity and adults who are at risk for type 2 diabetes.

Complications from Diabetes

What is diabetes?

Insulin is a vital hormone in the body as it helps glucose to be properly used by the body. Without the production of the insulin, sugar will not be converted into the necessary energy resulting to diabetes– a state wherein the sugar level in the bloodstream becomes very high.

Too mush sugar in the body serves like a poison since its not working its purpose to give the necessary energy to the cells of our body. In short, the fuel becomes venomous to the body if kept to a high level.

This state is what we call diabetes.

The worst thing about diabetes, is it merely does not concern the sugar level of the body but complications originate from this illness. Short term complications include hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, keteoacidosis, and hyperosmolar syndrome. Long term complications, on the other hand, may extend to heart disease, kidney disease, neuropathy, disease of the eyes, peripheral vascular disease and so much more depending on the status of the patient.

Most common complications of diabetes:

Heart Disease

Heart disease is one of the most deadly of all illnesses. It can strike anytime without a person even knowing about it. It is believed and proved people with diabetes are likely to be twice more susceptible and vulnerable to heart disease. It is not only common to diabetics but progresses quicker than for a normal person. The hardening of the arteries is swift when a person has diabetes.

Having diabetes slows down the LDL’s or low density proteins to be carried to the heart. LDL’s are essential for it carries the needed cholesterol all through out the circulatory system. The unneeded cholesterol, however, is carried back to the liver when not utilized.

Too much glucose in the body can slow down the circulation of LDLs making it sticky. Thus, cholesterol gets stuck building up on the blood vessel walls. It is for this reason, diabetics are pliable to heart attack.

Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is very much related to the function of the heart. Hypertension actually adds to the workload of the heart, arteries, and kidney. Often, high blood pressure is considered to be a silent killer precisely because it cannot be detected until the moment comes.

The complication of having high blood is that it affects other parts of the body. And since the regulation of the blood is irregular for diabetics, the risk of having blood pressure is high. It’s a tandem that can cause more than heart disease but can go as far as eye, kidney, and nerve complications.

Depression

There are two most common types of diabetes. Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 usually develops by the age of 40 and is characterized by the body’s inability to produce insulin. Type 2 on the other hand, is wherein a person still produces small amount of insulin that may or may not function in the body. Most people with Type 2 diabetes are overweighted.

Studies have shown, diabetics are very prone to depression and conversely, can increase the risks of diabetes particularly with type 2 diabetes. The tediousness of monitoring one’s diabetes which include strict compliance to medications, eating habits, and constant exercise can be very overwhelming to diabetics. This overwhelmed feeling transcends to fatigue and loss of interest.

Depression gets worse as the complications increase. The routines predisposed by being a diabetic causes fatigue and lack of enthusiasm resulting to withdrawal from reality.

Depression, just like having heart disease and blood pressure is twice prompted by diabetes.

Diabetic Neuropathy

This particular complication affects the nerves of the body and may develop for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Sadly, this complication causes a great deal of pain and numbness in the body.

Since it is a long term effect of diabetes, it develops slowly making itself known after a few years. Nerve damage happens over time and this is caused by the high blood glucose levels. The longer an individual have had diabetes, the more likely he or she acquires neuropathy.

Diabetes can cause a lot of complications. These complications are a lifetime struggle, however, thorough medication and constant monitoring of one’s health can help in preventing these complications. Much more to consider, perhaps, is to discipline one’s self early on to avoid diabetes in later years.

Diabetes and Impotence

Diabetes is like a spiderweb concerting not one but more complications in the body. Starting from the blood sugar level to the heart, kidneys, eyes, and nervous system.

Recent studies have prove diabetes can even cause impotence among

men. Since diabetes can damage the the peripheral nervous system, which includes nerves from the spine to the brain and the rest of the nerves of the body. The harm done by the diabetes on the nervous system leads to impotence. Nerves serve as messengers of the body. It the main connecting point of the rest of the body to the brain.

To have high blood glucose for years harms the covering on the nerves. It is the peripheral, autonomic, and cranial nerves which is directly harmed by diabetes. Due to high glucose in the blood, less oxygen in brought to the nerves. Nerves that are damaged sends wrong messages to the other parts of the body, this includes the sexual organs.

As mentioned earlier, diabetes also affects the autonomic nerves. It is this part of the nervous system that regulates the organ function of the most. Moreover, it also modulates homeostasis and mostly not capable of voluntary control. The automatic system is usually referred in academic textbooks as the visceral system.

The major role of the autonomic system is to transmit impulses from the Central Nervous System to the peripheral organ systems. It regulates and control heart rate and force of contraction, contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle in various organs, constriction and dilatation of blood vessels, pupillary size and secretions both from exocrine and endocrine glands.

The fact that the automatic system controls the organs can be a in great risk when one has diabetes. The damage diabetes can do to the body is extensive that even impotence and erectile dysfunction is among the list. Researches have discovered a particular sugar to present in diabetics intervene with the chain of nerves commanding for the penis to maintain erection.

Diabetic erectile dysfunction is caused partially by the interruption in an enzyme starting the chain of vascular events resulting to erection. A team of researches surmise O-GlcNAc, a blood sugar that exist in hyperglycemic circumstances as the interrupting factor.

An estimate of 50-70 percent of men with diabetes suffer erectile dysfunction You have to take note that diabetic erectile dysfunction is unlike the usual case of impotence that can be treated with Viagra.

Men get an erection when there is a sexual stimulus, thus it follows– activating an enzyme called neuronal nitric oxide synthase. These enzymes cause short term release of nitric oxide at the end of the penis.

The sugar O-GlcNAc impede these events by suppressing the NOs. The consequent reduction of NOs discharged prevents the smooth muscle of the penis from relaxing. No relaxation means no production of NOs, thus no normal and prolonged hard on.

Studies show and emphasize those with diabetes suffer from reduced blood vessel function. The vascular function is very important in erectile response and the dysfunction in the blood vessels no doubt lessens the erection.

Sex is an essential part of a relationship. Though it is not the very important level for other people, being humans, still give us sexual urge. Having sex is part of our being human or being mammals so to speak. Having an erectile dysfunction can cause embarrassment for most men. However, the advancement in medicine presents options to treat it.

Having a Healthy Pregnancy with Diabetes

This dreaded disease of diabetes is an illness which affects the blood sugar levels of a person. If a person is diagnosed with diabetes, that means that the amount of sugar in that person’s blood is much too high for the body to cope with.

The body simply cannot generate enough insulin for it to use up the sugar that is present in a person’s blood or the condition could simply be a manifestation of the person’s body’s failure to utilize insulin properly. Insulin is the hormone that is created by the pancreas in order to directly turn a person’s blood sugar into energy or maybe even transform it and store it as fat.

Aside from the fact that there are some women who have preexisting diabetes before their pregnancy, there are cases in which women who are bearing a child in their womb develop diabetes. These women generally constitute around 2 to 5 percent of the current population. This is called “gestational diabetes”. Today, despite the disease, these women do have an opportunity to have their baby as healthy as any newborn child.

Risks to the baby

There are those women who already have diabetes before their pregnancy and those women might not have been taking care of their condition during that time. For these types of women who have been very careless with their disorder, their babies are three to four times more likely to have dangerous birth defects than those women who do not have diabetes.

These types of birth defects can range from heart defects to brain defects to NTD, which is short for neural tube defect which might be identified in the future as anencephaly, encephalocele or spina bifida. Another thing is that pregnant women have an increased risk of miscarriage or stillbirth which is when the fetus dies in the womb of the mother or while being delivered.

Risks to the mother

For women who have preexisting or gestational diabetes might cause some problems for the women in the sense that they might have significant trouble while delivering the baby.

Women who have not been able to control their diabetes during pregnancy are at an increased risk of having their baby develop a disorder which is called macrosomia. This condition develops because of increased sugar that is in the blood. What happens is that the babies which have macrosomia grow to be very large (up to 10 pounds or more) because the sugar from the mother’s blood is passed onto the baby and thus the baby’s body compensates by producing more insulin for these sugars to be stored as fat.

Because of the exaggerated amounts of sugar, this particular reaction happens and the fat that is produced is stored around the shoulders and the trunk of the infant. The added girth that these infants have essentially translate to an increased difficulty for the mother if she is having a normal vaginal delivery. This could put the mother at risk for serious injuries during childbirth.

Diabetes and African American

The disease that is diabetes became an unnatural cause of death among African Americans at the turn of the century. By 1993, however, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, death certificates listed diabetes as the fifth leading cause of death for African Americans aged 45 to 64, and the third leading cause of death for those aged 65 and older in 1990.

Diabetes is more dangerous for African-American women, for whom it was the third leading cause of death for all ages in 1990. Diabetes death rates may actually be higher than these studies show for two reasons. First, diabetes might not have been diagnosed. Second, many doctors do not list diabetes as a cause of death, even when the person was known to have diabetes.

African Americans experience higher rates of three diabetes complications – blindness, kidney failure, and amputations. They also experience greater disability from these complications. Some factors that influence the frequency of these complications, such as delay in diagnosis and treatment of diabetes, denial of diabetes, abnormal blood lipids, high blood pressure, and cigarette smoking, can be influenced by proper diabetes management.

The following are the most common complications that one may run into when diabetes is left unchecked. There are even more diseases and complications that might come after diabetes. It is through constant regular checkup and consultations with doctors that one will be able to pick up signs of whether one already is in danger of having this disease.

Kidney Failure

African Americans experience kidney failure, also called end-stage renal disease (ESRD), from 2.5 to 5.5 times more often than white Americans. Interestingly though, hypertension, not diabetes, is the leading cause of kidney failure in black Americans. Hypertension accounts for almost 38 percent of ESRD cases in African Americans, whereas diabetes causes 32.5 percent. In spite of their high rates of the disease, African Americans have better survival rates from kidney failure than white Americans.

Visual Impairment

The frequency of severe visual impairment is 40 percent higher in African Americans with diabetes than in white Americans. This is a very significant fact that should prompt more focus on the community. Blindness caused by diabetic retinopathy is twice as common in blacks as in whites. Compared to white women, black women are three times more likely to become blind from diabetes. African-American men have a 30 percent higher rate of blindness from diabetes than white American men. Diabetic retinopathy may occur more frequently in black Americans than whites because of their higher rate of hypertension.

Amputations

African Americans undergo more diabetes-related lower-extremity amputations than white or Hispanic Americans. One study of 1990 U.S. hospital discharge figures showed amputation rates for African Americans with diabetes were 19 percent higher than for white Americans. In a 1991 California study, however, African Americans were 72 percent more likely to have diabetes-related amputations than white Americans, and 117 percent more likely than Hispanic Americans.

High-Risk Patients with Diabetes

Diabetes is one disease that does not come from out of nowhere. It is slowly but surely developed by an individual either through negligence or ignorance. There is hardly anyone who actually desires and works in order to get this particular disease by a certain age.

As underrated as it may seem, it certainly isn’t up there with the to-do-lists of a person before they die. And so we’re here to help you identify several risk factors that you might run into when you are on the road to a life imprisoned with diabetes.

One of the most acute indicators of the disease is the blood sugar metabolism which is believed to be a precursor of diabetes even years before clear manifestations of the disease is seen by the individual or the doctors.

Health experts are now consistently looking at several solid indicators of patients who may have a high risk of diabetes.

Impaired Fasting Glucose

This is a particularly significant indicator as a person with an impaired fasting glucose is also susceptible to increase their risk for stroke as well as heart disease. So what exactly constitutes impaired fasting glucose?

Well, for starters, a person who is diagnosed to be a diabetic is a person who has a fasting blood sugar greater than 126mg/dl. There is another group that for those who fall under this range. It is those people who have a fasting blood sugar value of 110 mg/dl to 126 mg/dl.

This is a concern for those who are in the medical field simply because this group has a greater chance to develop type 2 diabetes when compared to the normal population whose fasting blood sugar levels are certainly lower than those in this range.

While it is important to also note other factors that will essentially increase one’s risk of developing diabetes, a good indication of a person developing diabetes in the long run is if he or she has a fasting blood sugar level that falls within the 110 mg/dl to 126 mg/dl range.

Irregular menstruation

One of the strangest and unpreventable factors that a woman might encounter with regard to risk indicators of diabetes is delayed menstruation. This is particularly much more prominent in obese women.

There was a study which concluded that those women who had a cycle of more than 40 days increased their likelihood of developing the disease by as much as 50 percent. This is attributed to polycystic ovary disease which is known to be a significant risk factor for type 2 diabetes. This is why it is important that women should regularly have consultations with their physicians.

These are only two risk indicators of diabetes. However mild they may be, it is understood that one should not underestimate the fact that most of these risk indicators can be dealt with accordingly if one is prudent enough to have a checkup and consult with his physician about his overall health.