Diabetes mellitus is chronic illness, which develops as a result of absolute or relative deficiency of the pancreatic hormone insulin. It is necessary to deliver glucose to the cells of the body, which enters the bloodstream from food and provides the tissues with energy. With a lack of insulin or insensitivity to insulin in the body's tissues, the level of glucose in the blood rises - this condition is called hyperglycemia. It is dangerous for almost all body systems.

Important

There are two types of diabetes mellitus, which, with a certain similarity, have significant differences.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus- a condition in which the beta cells of the pancreas die for some reason. It is these cells that produce insulin, so that their death leads to an absolute deficiency of this hormone. Such diabetes is more often found in childhood or adolescence. According to modern concepts, the development of the disease is associated with a viral infection, inadequate functioning of the immune system and hereditary causes. But not diabetes itself is inherited, but only a predisposition to it.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus usually develops after 30-40 years in people who are overweight. In this case, the pancreas produces insulin, but the cells of the body cannot respond to it correctly, their insulin sensitivity is reduced. Because of this, glucose cannot penetrate into tissues and accumulates in the blood.

Over time, with type 2 diabetes, insulin production can also decrease, since long-term high blood glucose levels have a detrimental effect on the cells that produce it.

Check yourself

There is a simple test to determine if you have diabetes symptoms. Agreeing even with one of the suggested statements is a reason to consult an endocrinologist.

1. No matter how much I quench my thirst, I just can't get drunk.

2. Because of the frequent urge to urinate, I experience inconvenience when I have to leave home for a long time.

3. Dried urine droplets leave dense white stains on the laundry, reminiscent of starch marks.

4. I am overcome by weakness and drowsiness.

5. I notice a deterioration in vision: the contours of objects blur, as if looking through a fog.

6. Periodically there is a feeling of goosebumps, numbness and tingling in the palms and soles.

7. I just can't get rid of acne.

8. I have very dry skin, cuts and scrapes do not heal well.

9. Concerned about itching, especially in the perineum.

10. In recent months, I have lost 3-5 kg ​​or more, without applying the slightest effort;

11. I eat and cannot eat, I am constantly experiencing severe hunger.

However, it is important to consider that the classic signs of diabetes described here - thirst, dry mouth, itchy skin, increased urine output, weight loss, visual impairment - do not appear at the onset of the disease, but only when insulin deficiency becomes serious. Therefore, according to experts, there are three or four people in Russia who are diagnosed with diabetes who are unaware of the disease they already have.

In order to be able to start treatment in a timely manner, every person after 45 years of age needs to be tested once a year to determine the level of fasting blood glucose. If a person is at risk, this analysis should be carried out more often, and in addition to it, a food load test or a glucose tolerance test should be taken.

Another important analysis is the determination of glycated hemoglobin. He is able to show what was the average blood glucose level in the last three months.

Risk factors

Can lead to the development of diabetes:

• Hereditary predisposition... In a family where the father suffers from type 1 diabetes, the probability of developing the disease in a child is 5-10%. If the mother is sick with this type of diabetes, the risk is half as much - 2-2.5%. Brother or sister - 5%. When two children are sick, the risk of acquiring diabetes for a third child rises to 10%.
  If both parents have type 2 diabetes, the risk of developing the same type of disease in their children after 40 years increases to 65-70%.
• Overeating and unbalanced nutrition with an abundance of high-calorie, refined food.
• Overweight.
• Sedentary lifestyle.
• Chronic stress.
• Long-term use of certain medications(diuretics, hormonal, salicylates, cytostatics, etc.).

Treatment

In type 1 diabetes mellitus, the most important part of therapy is insulin injections, which the patient must do throughout his life. In recent years, it has become more convenient to make them thanks to the advent of dispensing syringe pens. Another useful development is continuous subcutaneous insulin pumps, the most modern of which have a warning system for too low or too high blood glucose levels in a patient and are able to automatically adjust the insulin dose.

If the pancreatic insufficiency is not complete, drugs can be used that stimulate the production of its own insulin in the patient's body.

In type 2 diabetes, medications are prescribed that eliminate insulin resistance - the body's resistance to insulin. If the blood glucose value exceeds the permissible norm against the background of long-term treatment with maximum doses of such drugs, the patient should receive insulin replacement therapy.

Prophylaxis

To avoid the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, it is important to normalize weight, limit calorie intake, and increase physical activity. This tactic gives good results not only in healthy people with risk factors, but also at the stage of prediabetes, when the disease has not yet occurred, but glucose is already poorly absorbed.

If at this time to correctly build the tactics of behavior, in 50-60% of the person can avoid the development of the disease.

Diet plays an important role in compensating for diabetes mellitus. The choice of food for a person with this condition can be compared to the principle of a traffic light.

Red light- These are foods that lead to a sharp increase in blood glucose levels. These include white bread, buns, sweets, beer, kvass, cola, lemonade, sweet juices, cereals fast food, white rice, fried potatoes and mashed potatoes. This group also includes fatty foods. Fat is the most nutritious component of food, so if you overuse it, you risk gaining weight. And animal fats have a bad effect on the heart, and with diabetes it is already under attack.

Yellow light- foods that raise blood glucose levels are not so dramatic, they can be consumed, but in reasonable quantities. These are rye bread and wholemeal flour products, beets, carrots, green peas, raisins, pineapple, banana, melon, apricot, kiwi, potatoes.

Green light fired for vegetables such as zucchini, cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, apple and orange juice, cherries, plums, pears, lettuce, dairy products, boiled meat and fish.

SOS!

One of the most dangerous conditions in diabetes mellitus is hypoglycemia - a decrease in blood glucose below 2.8 mmol / l. It can occur if the patient does not accurately calculate the required dose of drugs that lower glucose levels.

At the very first symptoms of it (acute hunger, sweating, trembling in the arms or legs, weakness, dizziness), you should immediately take 20-30 g of pure glucose or other quickly digestible carbohydrates.

Therefore, every diabetic, even leaving the house for a short time, should have 3-4 pieces of sugar or a small packet of juice with him.

Drugs

Remember, self-medication is life-threatening, consult your doctor for advice on the use of any medications.

Diabetes mellitus is currently not a rare disease. The number of patients with this diagnosis is growing rapidly. This fact forces many people to find out what diabetes mellitus is from and its appearance depends on in order to exclude possible factors as much as possible. The insidiousness and danger of the disease lies in the fact that the selected treatment allows patients only to maintain their body, but does not provide an opportunity to get rid of the disease completely.

How does diabetes come about?

Insulin in the human body has a direct effect on carbohydrate metabolism. It regulates the entry of the optimal amount of glucose into the cells, promotes the synthesis of this substance and increases its reserves in the liver due to the metabolism of glycogen. Insulin is able to suppress protein breakdown and is responsible for muscle growth.

The onset of diabetes mellitus is due to insufficient production of insulin or a violation of the sensitivity of cells to this hormone. If a small amount of insulin is produced, then the pathological process in the pancreas is most often caused by the destruction of the islets of Langerance, which produce the hormone. As a result, type 1 diabetes can develop. If the production of insulin occurs in the right amount, but there is a loss of sensitivity to it on the part of the cells, patients also have diabetes mellitus, but already type 2. In this state, glucose continues to circulate in the blood and does not penetrate the cells.

As a result of the development of the disease, glycated hemoglobin accumulates, which can lead to serious vascular complications, lesions nervous system and joints.

Insufficient glucose processing results in the following:

• Weakness appears in the muscles;
• There are interruptions in the work of the heart;
• Skeletal muscles weaken;
• There is an accumulation of toxins that damage the vessels of the kidneys and eyes.

The first signs of the disease are:

• Pain in the limbs that gets worse at night;
• Frequent urination, which is combined with a constant feeling of thirst;
• Dry mouth;
• Weight loss typical of type 1 diabetes;
• Long-term healing of the wound that has appeared;
• Obesity, inherent in the second type of disease;
• Itchy skin.

Diabetes necessarily requires constant monitoring of the blood glucose level, appropriate insulin therapy or treatment with pills, as well as complete change the whole way of life of a person.

Diabetes mellitus: what happens and depends on its appearance

Diabetes of any type is characterized by elevated blood glucose levels. Sugar is a nutritious material that provides the human body with the necessary energy. The insulin produced by the pancreas promotes the uptake of glucose by cells. Disruption of the production of this hormone to neutralize excess blood sugar leads to the development of diabetes.

Provoking factors for the onset of the disease:

1. Overweight.
2. Viral infections.
3. Genetic predisposition.
4. Constant stress.
5. Pregnancy.
6. A sedentary and mostly sedentary lifestyle.
7. Alcoholism.
8. Taking medications.
9. Other pathologies of the body.
10. Improper and unbalanced diet, which causes metabolic disorders.

Overweight

Type 2 diabetes most often occurs in people who are prone to obesity or are already overweight. Excess weight is often the result of an overload of the body and metabolic disorders, which are caused by an abundance of fatty foods, sweets and unhealthy diet.

The risk of developing diabetes is higher in patients in whose family such cases have already been recorded. But even in the absence of a genetic predisposition, being overweight can lead to diabetes. With the first degree of obesity, the chance of becoming a diabetic doubles, and the third degree brings you closer to illness 10 times faster.

In overweight people, the ability of cells to perceive insulin at the level of adipose tissue disappears. As a result, this leads to a complete loss of hormone susceptibility or only a partial loss of it. If you start to combat obesity, a factor in the development of diabetes in time, you can reduce the possibility of developing the disease.

Viral infections

Many infectious diseases(chickenpox, flu, rubella) can cause diabetes. The risk of developing diabetes becomes 25% higher if a person has had rubella. This happens as a result of a malfunction in the system that is responsible for the production of antibodies. Particular attention should be paid to people who have bad heredity.
A healthy human body perceives viruses of any origin as foreign material and attacks with antibodies. The weakened body still continues to produce antibodies even when the virus is no longer present. As a result, its own cells are affected. Most often, the cells of the pancreas, where insulin is produced, are affected.

Genetic predisposition

The presence in the family of people with diabetes mellitus increases the risk of developing this pathology by 6 times. This is due to the presence of antigen. With a certain combination, they form a predisposition to diabetes mellitus. If both parents have diabetes, then the child has a 60% risk of developing this disease. When diagnosed only to the mother or father, the probability of the disease in the next generation will not exceed 30%.

Hereditary diabetes occurs most often in children under 20. If a child is diagnosed with early period, his children will be at greater risk of diabetes. The disease may not even appear in a person if his family already had diabetics. For this, it is necessary that there is no influence of provoking factors.

To activate type 1 diabetes, a certain virus is needed that can infect the cells of the pancreas. The disease can be transmitted through a generation. Type 2 diabetes is mainly transmitted dominantly and is detected in the next generation. The likelihood of inheriting the disease is higher if diabetes is diagnosed in the paternal family.

Constant stay in stressful situations

Nervous strain is often a factor that can trigger the onset of diabetes. The likelihood of this diagnosis is increased several times if a person has a genetic predisposition and is overweight. If the patient's relatives did not have diabetes, then the disease can develop only from stress. This is due to the fact that during nervous tension in the body, certain substances are released that can reduce cellular insulin sensitivity or even block it.

Taking medications

Certain pharmaceutical therapy can lead to signs of diabetes.

To such medicines relate:

1. Synthetic hormones.
2. Some antihypertensive drugs.
3. Drugs used to treat tumors.
4. Means that have a diuretic effect.
5. Drugs used in the treatment of skin diseases, asthma, rheumatic diseases.
6. Reception of some dietary supplements containing "selenium" in large quantities.

Other diseases

Diabetes mellitus can be the result of other pathologies in the body.

For example:

• Insufficiency (chronic) of the adrenal cortex;
• Atherosclerosis;
• Autoimmune inflammation of the thyroid gland;
• Arterial hypertension;
• Consequences of radiation exposure;
• Acromegaly;
• Diffuse toxic goiter.

These diseases can reduce insulin sensitivity or damage cells in the pancreas. Pathogenic changes in the vessels of the organ impair its nutrition, which causes disruptions in the transport and production of the hormone to neutralize glucose.

Alcoholism

Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages contributes to the destruction of cells that are responsible for the production of insulin. You can prevent such an irreversible process if you adhere to the minimum doses of alcohol or eliminate it completely.

Pregnancy

During pregnancy, some women are faced with the concept of gestational diabetes. It usually goes away after the baby is born.

The cause of this disease is an excessive load on the endocrine system of the expectant mother. The pancreas cannot produce large amounts of insulin to block the abundance of sugary and fatty foods.

In pregnant women, there is an exacerbation of all hidden deficiencies in the work of the body. A child born to a mother with an identified diagnosis during pregnancy may inherit endocrine system pathology and develop type 1 diabetes.

Diabetes symptoms that disappear after childbirth can return to a woman after 40 years. In this case, a second type of disease occurs.
Factors that can trigger diabetes after pregnancy include:

• Gestational diabetes;
• Excess body weight during pregnancy;
• The birth of a child weighing more than 4 kg or with developmental defects;
• Frozen pregnancy or stillbirth.

Prevention of diabetes

You can reduce the risk of developing the disease by following preventive recommendations.

These include:

1. Control of body weight and blood glucose. To do this, it is enough to purchase a floor scale and a device for measuring sugar (glucometer). A person who has begun to dramatically lose weight or gain, needs to consult an endocrinologist. Your doctor can help confirm or deny the onset of diabetes.
2. Balance your diet. It is enough to exclude foods that cause obesity, junk food and do not abuse sweets.
3. Organize fractional meals (up to 5 or 6 times a day).
4. Don't overeat.
5. Move more and do exercises.
6. Eliminate stressful situations as much as possible, do not get upset over trifles and learn to stay calm in difficult moments.

The causes of diabetes can vary. It is impossible to completely exclude the possibility of developing the disease, even if the relatives have never suffered from this ailment. A person can only reduce the likelihood of being diagnosed with diabetes mellitus by adhering to healthy way life.

More materials:

This article was viewed 4,626 times

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common diseases today. Let's consider in more detail the signs of diabetes mellitus and the causes of its occurrence.

Diabetes mellitus has been known since the time of medicine BC. The ancient Egyptians described this disease as an independent pathology. The ancient Greek scientist Celsus argued that the main cause of diabetes is not the correct functioning of the stomach, and Hippocrates made a diagnosis by tasting the patient's urine. Doctors of ancient China came up with their own original way of diagnosing diabetes: the patient's urine was poured into a saucer and put out on the street. If wasps and bees sat on the edge of the saucer, then the doctors knew that sugar was present in the patient's urine.

Diabetes mellitus refers to diseases of the endocrine system and is characterized by an increase in blood sugar levels as a result of a violation of the production of the hormone insulin by the pancreas. The progression of diabetes mellitus leads to disruption of metabolic processes in the body, damage to the nervous system, blood vessels and other organs and systems.

Types and types of diabetes

Depending on the form of the course of the disease, there are:

• Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type 1 diabetes) - most often occurs in children and young people;
• Non-insulin dependent diabetes (type 2 diabetes) - most often occurs in people over 40 years of age who are overweight. This form of diabetes occurs in 80% of cases;
• Secondary diabetes mellitus is symptomatic;
• Diabetes of pregnant women - blood sugar levels are elevated during pregnancy, and after childbirth everything returns to normal;
• Diabetes that develops as a result of malnutrition and malnutrition.

Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is characterized by an absolute deficiency of insulin, which occurs against the background of insufficient production of insulin by the pancreas.

Diabetes can occur due to a lack of insulin

When diagnosing the second type of diabetes mellitus, we are talking about relative insulin deficiency.

Reasons for the development of type 1 diabetes mellitus

Type 1 diabetes mellitus begins to manifest itself clinically after the destruction of more than half of the cells of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas (responsible for the production of insulin). In children and adolescent patients, the progression of the disease is observed much faster, as a result of which the general condition of the patient deteriorates sharply.

Type 1 diabetes is characterized by insufficient production of insulin by the cells of the pancreas. Insulin is either not produced at all, or its amount is very small. The main function of this hormone is to ensure the delivery of glucose into cells. Glucose is the main source of energy for all tissues and cells of the body. If glucose, for some reason, does not enter the cell, then it begins to accumulate in the blood in high concentrations, and accordingly, the cells and tissues of the body experience a deficit of energy (that is, hunger). To compensate the organs for the lack of nutrients and carbohydrates, the body begins to intensively break down fats and proteins. It is this fact that contributes to the sudden and dramatic weight loss of the patient.

Glucose molecules tend to attract water to themselves. If the sugar level in the body rises significantly, then the glucose with the liquid is intensively excreted from the body along with the urine. Thus, a patient with diabetes mellitus experiences intense thirst and a noticeable dehydration of the body.

Due to the active breakdown of fats, fatty acids begin to accumulate in the blood. The liver uses these acids intensively to provide the body with energy. As a result, the concentration of ketone bodies in the blood sharply increases. Ketone bodies are the breakdown products of fats, and their accumulation in the blood leads to the development of ketosis and severe dehydration. If at this stage the patient does not begin rehydration (replenishment of the lack of fluid in the body) and insulin therapy, then soon a coma develops and the subsequent shutdown of vital organs.

The predisposing factors provoking the development of this disease are:

• Postponed mumps, rubella virus, chickenpox and hepatitis;
• Hereditary predisposition;
• Continuous intake of dietary supplements based on selenium.

Reasons for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus

The main predisposing factors for the development of type 2 diabetes are heredity and overweight.

Obesity

If a person is obese 1 degree, then the risk of developing diseases of the endocrine system doubles. With obesity of the 2nd degree - 5 times, with obesity of the 3rd degree - more than 10 times!

Hereditary factor

If at least one of the parents had and still has diabetes mellitus, then there is a very high probability that the children will also inherit this disease. Type II diabetes mellitus develops gradually with moderate clinical symptoms.

Diabetes is inherited

Secondary diabetes mellitus

The secondary form of the disease can develop in humans against the background of such factors:

• Long-term and uncontrolled intake of certain medications;
• Changes in the receptors of cells responsible for the delivery of insulin to tissues;
• Concomitant diseases of the pancreas (pancreatitis, tumor neoplasms on the gland, partial removal of the pancreas);
• Hormonal diseases (Itsenko-Cushing's disease, acromegaly, thyrotoxicosis, toxic goiter and pheochromacytoma).

How to recognize diabetes? First clinical symptoms

This endocrine disease is characterized by a whole range of clinical symptoms. These include:

• Constant thirst of the patient (a person can drink more than 5 liters of water per day);
• Frequent urination and severe oliguria (secretion of up to 10 liters of urine per day);
• Increased appetite, feeling of constant hunger;
• Rapid weight loss, dramatic weight loss;
• Rapid fatigue and a feeling of general weakness;
• Sudden visual impairment - the appearance of the so-called "white veil" before the eyes;
• Cramps of the calf muscles, disturbing the patient more often at night;
• Dizziness and headaches;
• Decreased sex drive in women and erectile dysfunction in men;
• Decreased immunity;
• Slow wound healing.

Fatigue is one of the symptoms of diabetes

In medicine, there have been cases when a constant increase in blood glucose levels was not accompanied in a patient with typical symptoms of diabetes mellitus - thirst and an increase in daily urine output. Only as the disease progressed, patients noted the presence of dizziness and constant weakness, deterioration of vision, rapid weight loss and prolonged healing of wounds on the skin. It is these symptoms that often force the patient to see a doctor.

The onset of an insulin-dependent type of disease is characterized by the rapid progression of the pathological process and severe dehydration of the body. Such patients need immediate medical attention and insulin preparations. Without timely medical intervention, the patient rapidly increases ketoacidosis in the blood, and then he falls into a coma.

Complications of diabetes

If people with this disease ignore the doctor's prescriptions and are irresponsible about their state of health, then against the background of the progression of diabetes mellitus, serious complications will soon develop. The disease primarily affects the cardiovascular system, the organs of vision, the kidneys and the nervous system.

Damage to the heart and blood vessels

As diabetes progresses, complications primarily affect the cardiovascular system. In about 70% of cases, people with diabetes die as a result of a stroke or heart attack. This is due to the fact that diabetes causes severe damage to the large arteries responsible for the blood supply to the heart muscle and great vessels.

In addition, the progression of diabetes and elevated level blood sugar leads to diseases of the feet, microcracks in the limbs, as a result of which gangrene develops. With the development of gangrene, surgeons amputate the affected limb in order to prevent further necrosis of healthy tissues.

Doctors say that timely diagnosis of the disease and responsible implementation of all medical recommendations can prevent the development of complications.

Impact of diabetes on the organs of vision

Diabetes mellitus, in the absence of timely treatment, leads to a complete loss of the patient's vision. As the disease progresses, the patient may develop other eye diseases such as increased intraocular pressure, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy. The latter disease is the most common complication of the visual system in diabetes. A timely visit to an ophthalmologist in 90% of cases prevents the development of blindness in diabetics.

Lesions of the excretory system and kidneys

Pancreatic endocrine disease is one of the main causes of renal failure. To prevent the development of this complication, it is necessary to take drugs that promote the outflow of urine and normalize blood pressure (diuretics).

Nervous system pathologies

Especially often with diabetes mellitus, the nervous system, or rather, the nerve endings of the extremities, is at risk of complications. This pathology leads to a decrease in the sensitivity of the limbs and the appearance of numbness and burning of the hands and feet.

In addition, damage to the central nervous system in diabetes can provoke disturbances in the digestive function and the functioning of the organs of the reproductive system.

How to prevent the development of complications?

If complications of this disease were diagnosed in a patient at an early stage of their appearance, then they can be easily eliminated with the help of medications. Thus, the patient's lifestyle changes somewhat: for example, with developing nephropathy (lesion renal tubules) the patient should take daily medications that will help prevent further progression of the pathology.

Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus

To diagnose diabetes mellitus in a patient, it is enough to examine a blood test, in which the glucose level is determined. If an empty stomach is detected in a patient's blood glucose level less than 7 mmol / l, but more than 5.6 mmol / l, a glucose tolerance test is additionally prescribed. The test is as follows: the patient donates blood on an empty stomach, doctors determine the level of glucose in the blood, after which the person is offered a piece of sugar. Another blood test is taken from this patient after 2 hours. If blood glucose levels have increased to 11.1 mmol / L, then diabetes mellitus can be diagnosed with confidence. If blood glucose values ​​are less than 11.1 mmol / l, but more than 7.8 mmol / l, then we are talking about a violation of the body's tolerance to carbohydrates. With low levels of glucose, but at the same time above the norm, the study is repeated after 3 months, and the patient is registered with an endocrinologist.

Blood glucose levels are tested for diagnosis

Diabetes mellitus treatment

The method of treating diabetes depends largely on the type of disease. When diagnosing type 1 diabetes mellitus (insulin-dependent), the patient is prescribed insulin preparations to compensate for the hormone deficiency in the body.

When non-insulin dependent diabetes (type 2 diabetes) is detected, treatment begins with a correction of the diet and antidiabetic medications.

As diabetes progresses, the patient is prescribed insulin therapy. Most often, the body's need for insulin is completely satisfied by the preparations of the human hormone. These drugs include recombinant human insulin.

For treatment, short-acting drugs, insulins of medium duration of exposure and prolonged-acting drugs (long-acting) are used. Most often, insulin preparations are injected subcutaneously, but they can be injected both intramuscularly and into a vein.

Diabetes mellitus in women

The manifestation of diabetes mellitus in women has some distinctive feature. Often the patient is unaware of the development of diabetes, and the reason for going to the doctor is severe itching of the external genital organs. This symptom often appears first in the progression of diabetes mellitus in women. Patients often mistake itching of the external genital organs for a venereal infection and rush to see a venereologist. During the examination, the woman is found to have an increased level of glucose in the blood.

Danger of contracting diabetes

Many people are very concerned about the question of whether it is possible to contract diabetes mellitus from a patient through contact with him? No, this is just a stupid myth. Diabetes mellitus is not influenza or acute respiratory infection. This disease is caused by severe disorders in the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas, as a result of which insulin stops being produced or is produced in insufficient quantities. Diabetes mellitus is not transmitted through handshakes, the use of personal hygiene items of the patient, or by airborne droplets.

Diabetes mellitus is also called "the disease of civilization", as the cause of its occurrence is often the abuse of various fast foods, baked goods and carbonated sugary drinks.

Nutrition for diabetes

Naturally, diabetes mellitus makes multiple adjustments to a person's lifestyle, and first of all it concerns the patient's diet. If you ignore the instructions of a specialist with regard to some restrictions in food, the disease provokes a sharp deterioration in the patient's health. The first thing people with diabetes need to give up is sugar.

Diabetes patients should take care of their diet

Patients with diabetes mellitus are shown therapeutic diet№ 9. This diet is characterized by restriction in the diet of a sick person of easily digestible carbohydrates and prevention of possible disorders of fat metabolism due to the progression of diabetes mellitus.

The patient is advised to eat small amounts of food 5 times a day, preferably at regular intervals. It is completely unacceptable for a person with diabetes to skip meals for any reason. This can have a very negative effect on his health.

Diet number 9

The diet of a patient with diabetes mellitus consists of the following dishes:

First hot dishes

Soups and borscht for a patient with diabetes mellitus are prepared in water, with the addition of boiled lean meat to the plate. Great for eating rabbit meat, turkey breast, chicken fillets and beef. It is very useful to eat soup cooked in vegetable broth for lunch. Thus, the patient not only does not load the pancreas with unnecessary work, but also enriches the body with vitamins.

Second courses

As a side dish for boiled low-fat meats, you can cook porridge in water. Especially useful are buckwheat porridge, pearl barley, oatmeal, wheat and barley. It is very useful as a snack for an afternoon snack to eat wheat bran, previously doused with warm milk.

Fermented milk products have a good effect on the functioning of the digestive system, which is very important in diabetes mellitus. Preference should be given to kefir, low-fat cottage cheese, not salted and not spicy hard cheese.

You can also serve porridge to the patient with the addition of milk, but always boiled in water. A piece of butter can be added to milk porridge.

Vegetables and fruits

For people with diabetes mellitus, you can include in the diet the same vegetables and fruits: tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, zucchini, pumpkin, some eggplants, green apples, dates and figs. Bananas, grapes and strawberries should not be consumed, or tasted in very limited quantities, since these fruits and berries are especially rich in fructose and carbohydrates, and their abuse can dramatically worsen the patient's condition.

Diabetes drinks

Patients with diabetes mellitus need to give up black tea, cocoa and coffee. You can drink a coffee drink with added milk. It is allowed to use rosehip broth, green tea, vegetable and fruit juices (from the list of permitted vegetables and fruits), non-carbonated mineral water.

A list of foods that are strictly prohibited for people with diabetes:

• Chocolate candies;
• Sausages and smoked sausage;
• Fatty fish (such as mackerel and salmon);
• Red caviar;
• Mayonnaise, ketchup, margarine;
• Spices, spices, vinegar;
• Canned food;
• Homemade jam.

How to diversify the menu for diabetes?

People who are diagnosed with diabetes mellitus complain that their diet is very monotonous, and the food is all bland and not tasty. This is an unjustified statement. With the desire and culinary skills, you can eat well, tasty and healthy. Below is the sample menu for patients with diabetes mellitus. You can take this menu as a basis, changing and adding products from the allowed list every day.

Breakfast: rice milk porridge, boiled in water (add milk directly to the plate), bread and butter and tea.

Second breakfast: biscuit biscuits and a glass of low-fat natural yogurt.

Lunch: salad from boiled beets with vegetable oil, vegetable soup with a piece of boiled chicken meat.

Afternoon snack: steamed cheesecakes, apple, rosehip broth.

Dinner: boiled fish, vegetable salad with sour cream

At night: a glass of kefir or milk.

As you can see, the diet is quite varied. Of course, at first, the patient will experience certain difficulties with permitted and prohibited products, but he will soon get used to it.

Controlling blood sugar at home

A patient with diabetes mellitus cannot be constantly under the supervision of doctors, and, as you know, the level of glucose in the blood must be constantly kept at approximately the same level. It is important to ensure that there are no sudden changes in blood glucose levels - hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. As a result of such leaps, the patient's vessels, organs of vision and the nervous system begin to be rapidly affected.

Without insulin, glucose cannot be broken down into substances the body needs. The liver begins to vigorously produce glucose, believing that the critical state of the body is due precisely to a lack of energy. From an excess of glucose and its accumulation in the body, the accumulation of ketone bodies begins.

If the glucose values ​​exceed the values ​​of ketone bodies in the blood, then the patient develops a hyperglycemic coma.

If the ketone bodies exceed the amount of glucose in the blood, then the patient develops a ketoacidotic coma.

It is also important to take into account the fact that the development of a coma is not always caused in a patient due to the accumulation of glucose or ketone bodies in the blood. The patient can fall into a coma due to an overdose of insulin. Thus, we are talking about a hypoglycemic coma.

Coma signs

The first signs of a developing coma include:

• Increased thirst and more urination;
• Nervous excitement, subsequently giving way to lethargy;
• Increasing weakness and lethargy;
• Headache;
• Lack of appetite and nausea;

If a patient has such signs within 12-24 hours, it is necessary to urgently seek medical help. Without timely treatment, the patient develops a true coma. The clinical signs of a true diabetic coma are:

• Growing indifference to what is happening around;
• Impaired consciousness (apathy with periods of nervous excitement);
• Lack of response to stimuli.

When examining the patient, the doctor discovers pronounced dryness of the skin, a weakening of the pulse in large arteries, a well-noticeable smell of acetone from the mouth (with the development of hyperglycemic and ketoacidotic coma), a fall blood pressure softening eyeballs... The patient's skin is warm to the touch.

With the development of coma due to an overdose of insulin (hypoglycemic) Clinical signs completely different. When a coma is approaching, the patient feels severe hunger, trembling in the limbs and body, increasing weakness, anxiety and sudden sweating.

If during the sensation of these signs the patient is not allowed to drink sweet tea, eat chocolate candy or other "fast" carbohydrate, then the patient experiences loss of consciousness and convulsions. On examination, the doctor notes increased muscle tone, skin moisture and the absence of the smell of acetone from the mouth.

First aid for the development of coma

As a rule, people with diabetes are well aware of what happens in the case of inappropriate insulin administration or an increase in the level of glucose and ketone bodies in the blood. With increasing signs and symptoms of a coma, such patients know what to do. People who are trying to provide first aid to a patient with increasing coma symptoms should ask the patient himself what helps him in this case.

It is strictly forbidden to prevent the patient from injecting insulin during the development of a coma (some people regard this as inappropriate behavior), as well as to delay calling an ambulance, relying on the patient to know what to do in these situations.

Violation of carbohydrate metabolism with a lack of insulin hormone and an increased amount of glucose leads to the development of diabetes.

7% of the world's population has been diagnosed with the disease, and about 10% are not aware of the existing glucose metabolism disorder.

What is diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a disease that causes high blood glucose levels - hyperglycemia. The disease is hereditary, so if there were cases of diabetes in the family, then the risk of development increases. According to WHO statistics, if one of the parents has a disease, then in 90% of cases, diabetes is congenital in the fetus.

Blood glucose has many functions in the body, but the main one is to maintain energy. Biochemical processes occurring in organs and tissues are carried out under the influence of ATP and with its release. Exceeding the permissible level has a negative effect on tissues and organs, and the circulatory system suffers.

Glycemia has a negative effect on the metabolism of fats, proteins and minerals. It also affects renal filtration and the urinary system in general. In severe cases, it becomes the cause of death.

Stress

Mental experiences, stress and depression negatively affect the state of the nervous system. Persistent depressive disorder entails a malfunction of the nerve cells of the cerebral cortex. Many processes are slowed down and disrupted, including carbohydrate. The absorption of glucose into organs and tissues is transformed, and the accumulated glucose damages the nerve cells and blood vessels of the brain.

Diabetics have impaired brain activity, and in severe conditions, encephalopathy develops with a long degradation period.

A strong shock or sharp excitement excites the nervous system so that the functions of internal organs are turned off or their activity is disrupted. Insulin produced by the pancreas loses activity, B cells are damaged, and sometimes the work of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted.

Severe stress can be:

• news of death loved one;
• being in a conflict or war zone;
• being in captivity;
• terrorist attack or natural disaster.

Psychoemotional disorders are diagnosed more often in women, less often in children. Men bypasses this factor, but sometimes there are exceptions.

Preceding diseases

Infectious and inflammatory processes, hypertension and diseases of the digestive system - lead to damage to target cells and a significant decrease in insulin hormone. Diseases are prerequisites for the development of a serious illness. To a greater extent, the predecessors of the SD are:

• radiation exposure;
• trauma to the gastrointestinal tract, liver and pancreas;
• hepatitis, including viral;
• atherosclerotic disorders;
• diseases of the nervous system;
• disruption of the adrenal glands;

Infectious processes such as rubella or chickenpox are not provocative causes, but they increase the risk of diabetes. This mainly applies to persons who have relatives with a similar pathology.

Classification

Diabetes mellitus is a whole group of endocrine diseases. There are several types, differing in the causes and symptoms.

Type 1 - insulin dependent

The most severe type of diabetes. It is impossible to recover from this form. Pathology is inherited in 99% of cases. The insulin-dependent type is directly related to acute insulin deficiency. With insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, hyperglycemia develops, the renal system is affected. A person exudes the smell of acetone because acetoacetic acid is released. Sometimes this sign is defining.

Type 1 diabetes is otherwise called "young", as it occurs before the age of 30. Women are more difficult to tolerate - diabetes mellitus is a contraindication when carrying a baby.

Type 2 - non-insulin dependent

Diabetes of "old people". Every third person of old age is recorded. Clinical manifestations are similar to the first type, but are more gentle in nature. Hyperglycemia does not exceed 10.5 mmol / l, when with type 1 the readings increase to 28-30 mmol / l.

The non-insulin dependent type develops due to improper lifestyle and obesity of any degree. Excess weight leads to a loss of insulin sensitivity to glucose at the level of fat metabolism. Glycemia is formed for a long time.

It is impossible to cure the disease, but supportive therapy is effective. It should be noted that in elderly people, hyperglycemia is expressed in memory impairment.

Gestational diabetes

Occurs in the process of carrying a child. It is autoimmune in nature, that is, the placenta synthesizes hormones that are perceived by pathogenic agents. The release of insulin is not impaired, but its amount is reduced. The increased production of carbohydrates due to the need for additional energy is not inactivated by the hormone.

The condition is temporary, and after the birth of the baby and the child's place it disappears. However, there is a risk of developing non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

An independent disease that is not the result of a disruption of the endocrine system or pancreas. When insulin is synthesized in the usual way. Persistent hyperglycemia is a common feature. The development of diabetes insipidus is associated with impaired activity of the nervous system after surgery or injury. It is extremely rare.

If we represent the types of SD as a percentage, then it will turn out something like this:

• 14-15% type 2 diabetes;
• 6-8% - 1 type;
• 20% - gestational;
• 2-3% - sugarless.

Indicators are average, and can vary upwards.

The share of the gestational type of pathology accounts for a large part, due to the fact that an ailment is diagnosed in every third pregnant woman.

Diabetes degree

In addition to the classification types, the degrees of pathology are distinguished:

• 1 degree. Clinical manifestations are absent, sometimes blood glucose reaches 6.0 mmol / l, with a norm of 6.2. Sugar lends itself to adjustment when changing the regime and type of food.
• Grade 2 - moderate. The primary signs of the pathological process appear. The work of the heart, urinary and nervous systems is disrupted. Eyesight deteriorates. At grade 2, fasting blood sugar rises to 7.0 mmol / l, and after eating it prevails over the 10 mmol / l mark. The degree is characteristic of the gestational type.
• Grade 3 - severe. Hyperglycemia is up to 15 mmol / L. Correction is difficult. The typical symptom of grade 3 is deteriorating - diabetic encephalopathy and lethargy.
• Grade 4 - extremely severe. Multiple organ failure develops, hyperglycemia reaches 25-30 mmol / l. Loss of consciousness and falling into a coma is possible. The severe degree differs in the nature of the flow: glucose rises in waves to the limit values, the diabetic exudes the smell of acetone. Grade 4 can be fatal either from the underlying disease or from complications that have developed.

The character depends on the degree of diabetes possible complications and treatment.

Symptoms and signs

The disease can only be diagnosed by a blood test, but there are primary symptoms that therapists pay attention to:

• increase in body weight;
• constant;
• the need for large volumes of fluid;
• dry, cracked palms.

Type 1 traits

Clinical picture the insulin-dependent form is diverse, but a feature is a pronounced course:

• thirst;
• dryness;
• visual impairment;
• increased appetite, but lack of weight gain;
• nausea, vomiting;
• cracks on the lips and feet;
• non-healing wounds;
• mood swings;

With type 1, characteristic signs and symptoms always develop. If glycemia reaches high levels, then loss of consciousness and an unpleasant sour smell join. The amount of urine in which acetone is found, a product of intoxication of the body, increases.

Type 2 traits

Complaints troubling diabetics with type 2 pathology:

• increased fluid intake (up to 4.5 liters per day);
• fast fatiguability;
• fungal infections of the skin and mucous membranes (oral cavity, genitals, thrush in women);
• moderate;
• psycho-emotional instability;
• a tendency to aggression and nervousness.

In men, loss of hair, teeth and ulcers, mainly on the legs. Another symptom is increased appetite and excessive sweating.

Complications

The consequences of diabetes can be acute, late and chronic. Chronic ones develop with type 2 disease. The most dangerous are acute disorders in insulin-dependent form:

Diagnosis by a doctor

An endocrinologist is engaged in the diagnosis of a pathological phenomenon (regardless of the type). Its primary purpose is a fasting blood test. In the future, TSH is carried out, and in addition, an analysis for insulin and. If necessary, ultrasound of the pancreas.

A urinalysis with a qualitative and quantitative determination of glucose is mandatory.

Treatment

The main treatment is insulin therapy, which is administered subcutaneously (with form 1) and orally. The injected insulin binds to blood sugar and reduces blood sugar activity. The dosage is set individually. Hypoglycemic drugs help to normalize metabolic processes and reduce the concentration of sugar in the blood.

Secondary diseases are treated in a specific way: with nephropathy with diuretics, with hypertension - with adrenergic blockers.

Treatment is accompanied by dietary adjustments with strict calorie counting. Throughout the therapy, it is necessary to control the sugar level with the help of a handyman and monitor urine acetone.

If there is a predisposition to diabetic pathology, then it is difficult to correct the condition, but it is possible. To do this, you must carefully monitor the diet and exercise. If you suspect a disease, contact an endocrinologist.

We rarely think about diabetes. However, the danger of this disease should not be ignored. A prerequisite for the occurrence of the disease is a low level of insulin in the blood. Produced by the endocrine islets of the pancreas, it is an integral part of the metabolism. Low levels of the hormone insulin affect the functioning of many internal organs. Modern medicine does not have absolute knowledge of what causes diabetes mellitus, but how the disease occurs and what serves as a trigger has been studied in detail. Read about this in more detail later in the article.

Types of diabetes mellitus and their causes

Glucose is a source of energy, fuel for the body. Insulin helps you metabolize it, but if you have diabetes, the hormone may not be produced in the right amount, not produced at all, or your cells may not respond to it. This leads to an increase in blood glucose levels, decomposition of fats, and dehydration of the body. Failure to take immediate action to lower blood sugar levels can lead to dire consequences such as kidney failure, limb amputation, stroke, blindness, coma. So, let's look at the causes of diabetes:

1. Destruction of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas by viral infections. Dangerous are rubella, mumps, chickenpox, viral hepatitis. Rubella causes diabetes mellitus in every fifth person who has had it, which can be complicated if there is a hereditary predisposition. It poses the greatest danger to children and minors.
2. Genetic moments. If someone in a family has diabetes mellitus, then the likelihood of other members of the family having the disease increases many times. If both parents are diabetics, then the child will have a disease with one hundred percent guarantee, if one parent has diabetes, the chances will be one in two, and if the disease manifests itself in a brother or sister, then the other child will develop it in a quarter of cases.
3. Autoimmune problems such as hepatitis, thyroiditis, lupus, in which the immune system considers the body's cells to be hostile, can lead to the death of "pancreatic" cells, making it difficult to produce insulin.
4. Obesity. The likelihood of diabetes increases many times over. So, in people who are not overweight, the chance of developing the disease is 7.8%, but if the weight exceeds normal by twenty percent, then the risk increases to 25%, and with overweight of 50 percent, diabetes occurs in two-thirds of all people. In this case, we are talking about type 2 diabetes.

Type I

Diabetes mellitus type I (insulin-dependent) leads to the death of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Because of this, she begins to produce much less hormone or stops producing it altogether. The disease manifests itself before the age of thirty, and its main cause is a viral infection leading to autoimmune problems. The blood of people with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus contains antibodies against insulin-producing cells. They need a regular supply of insulin from the outside.

II type

Non-insulin dependent diabetes is characterized by the fact that the pancreas can produce even more hormone than is required, but the body is not able to perceive it. As a result, the cell cannot pass into itself the glucose it needs. Type II is caused by genetic conditions and excess weight... It happens that the disease occurs as a reaction of the body to treatment with corticosteroids.

Risk factors

Scientists find it difficult to reliably name the reasons why dangerous diabetes mellitus appears. There is a whole set of conditions that affect the onset of the disease. Understanding all this makes it possible to predict how diabetes will proceed and progress, and often prevent or postpone its manifestation. Each type of diabetes has its own conditions that increase the risk of developing the disease:

1. Genetic predisposition. Risk factor for the occurrence of the first type. From the parents, the child acquires a predisposition to the onset of the disease. But the trigger is an external influence: the consequences of an operation, an infection. The latter can trigger the production of antibodies in the body, which will destroy the cells that produce insulin. But even the presence of diabetics in the family does not mean that you will certainly get sick with this ailment.
2. Taking medications. Some medications tend to trigger diabetes. These include: glucocorticoid hormones, diuretics, antihypertensive drugs, drugs to fight tumors. Diabetes can occur as a result of prolonged use of dietary supplements containing selenium, asthma, rheumatism and dermatological problems.
3. Wrong way of life. Active image life reduces the risk of diabetes by three times. For those who do not have physical activity, glucose uptake by tissues is significantly reduced. By itself, a sedentary lifestyle leads to a set of extra pounds, and an addiction to junk food, which provides not enough protein and fiber, but more than necessary - sugar, becomes an additional risk factor.
4. Diseases of the pancreas. Lead to the destruction of insulin-producing beta cells and the development of diabetes.
5. Infections. Particularly dangerous are mumps, Coxsackie B viruses and rubella. At the same time, a direct connection was revealed between the latter and type 1 diabetes mellitus. Vaccination against these diseases, like any other vaccinations, cannot provoke the onset of the disease.
6. Nervous stress. Officially recognized as one of the most common causes of type 2 diabetes, which affects 83 percent of all people with the disease.
7. Obesity. It is one of the most common causes of type 2 diabetes. When there is too much fat in the body, it clings to the liver and pancreas, and the cells' sensitivity to insulin decreases.
8. Pregnancy. Carrying a baby is a significant stress for a woman and can cause gestational diabetes. The hormones produced by the placenta raise blood sugar levels, the pancreas is forced to work with great stress, and it is not possible to create all the necessary insulin. After the baby is born, gestational diabetes disappears.

Attention! The information presented in the article is for informational purposes only. The materials of the article do not call for self-treatment. Only a qualified doctor can diagnose and give recommendations for treatment, based on the individual characteristics of a particular patient.

Found a mistake in the text? Select it, press Ctrl + Enter and we'll fix it!

Discuss

The causes of diabetes mellitus