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Diabetes
Does type 2 diabetes have a genetic component?
Diabetes has a high prevalence worldwide, especially type 2 diabetes, which accounts for over 90% of all cases. The pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes is very complex, including genetic susceptibility, as well as environmental factors, insulin resistance, and defects in the function of pancreatic beta cells. Thus, environmental factors are one of the influencing factors in the incidence of type 2 diabetes. There is evidence showing a familial clustering tendency among patients, but genetic factors are not the sole cause of type 2 diabetes; environmental factors also play a role. With changes in diet and lifestyle in recent years, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has noticeably increased. Even with similar genetic backgrounds, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes varies among populations living in different areas. Therefore, diabetes can be considered a complex disease, where individuals with a genetic predisposition to diabetes, under the influence of adverse environmental conditions, can also develop elevated blood sugar levels and consequently diabetes.
Is there a difference between gestational diabetes and regular diabetes?
Gestational diabetes and common diabetes, although both types of diabetes, have significant differences between them. First, gestational diabetes is a disease specifically occurring during pregnancy and often only appears during the gestational period. After pregnancy, the majority of women will revert to a normal blood sugar state, so the main focus for gestational diabetes is on screening and intervention during pregnancy; Second, common diabetes is a chronic disease that accompanies an individual throughout their life, requiring long-term management of blood sugar through various methods. Therefore, the main difference between the two lies in the duration of the disease. Pregnant women with common diabetes, if they become pregnant, are referred to as having diabetes compounded by pregnancy, which also requires strict blood sugar management, but its mechanism of occurrence and principles of treatment differ from those of gestational diabetes.
Diabetes dietary taboo fruits
Many patients have a misconception after being diagnosed with diabetes; they think that fruits are sweet and they should avoid all fruits. This statement is half right—fruits are indeed sweet, but not all fruits are off-limits. Diabetes patients can still consume fruits, provided that they pay attention to the quantity and type of fruit they eat. First, let’s discuss the fruits that should not be eaten by diabetic patients, which are those high in simple sugars. Consuming these fruits can cause a rapid spike in blood sugar levels. Examples include dates, whether dry or fresh, longans, whether dry or fresh, lychees, whether dry or fresh, and bananas, which all have very high sugar content. These fruits are not recommended for diabetic patients; on the other hand, fruits like kiwis, cherries, kumquats, and grapefruits are generally suggested as suitable for diabetic patients.
How to treat early-stage diabetes?
In the early stages of diabetes, when blood sugar levels are not very high, it can be controlled through diet and exercise. This can be achieved by losing weight, reducing calorie intake, and increasing calorie consumption through exercise to lower blood sugar levels. However, for some obese patients or those who cannot control their diet, medications can also be used in the early stages to prevent further increases in blood sugar levels. Currently, medications such as metformin and acarbose, which are both effective and relatively inexpensive, are mainly recommended. (Specific medications should be taken under the guidance of a physician.)
How to treat diabetes in the elderly?
For elderly patients with diabetes, our long-term treatment goal is to delay the onset and progression of chronic diabetic complications, maintain good health and self-care ability, improve quality of life, and extend healthy lifespan through good metabolic control. The short-term goal is to control hyperglycemia and its metabolic disorders, eliminate the symptoms of diabetes, and prevent acute severe metabolic disorders. Our "five-pronged" approach to diabetes management is also suitable for elderly patients, including diabetes education, medical nutrition therapy, exercise therapy, blood glucose monitoring, and medication therapy. Therefore, for elderly diabetic patients, it is essential to keep blood glucose levels within a controllable range, delay the onset of complications, and provide a healthy twilight years for elderly diabetics.
Symptoms of Gestational Diabetes
The symptoms of gestational diabetes differ from those of non-pregnancy diabetes; non-pregnancy diabetes is mainly characterized by excessive drinking, eating, urination, and weight loss. During pregnancy, excessive drinking and eating may be physiological responses due to increased appetite, and frequent urination may be caused by the enlarged uterus pressing on the bladder during early pregnancy. Weight loss is generally not apparent in gestational diabetes due to the growth of the fetus, the uterus, and the increase in amniotic fluid. For women who had a higher body mass index before pregnancy and a family history of diabetes, it is recommended to start glucose tolerance screening from the time of planning to conceive. For those who gain weight rapidly after becoming pregnant and have a significant increase in amniotic fluid, we typically conduct routine diabetes screening between 24 to 28 weeks of pregnancy. Gestational diabetes has severe impacts on the pregnant woman, the fetus, and the newborn, thus early detection and treatment are advised.
Early symptoms of diabetes in men
Symptoms of diabetes in men in the early stages first require distinguishing by gender. Diabetes can be characterized by "three excesses and one deficiency": excessive drinking, excessive eating, excessive urination, and weight loss, which are typical symptoms. Of course, many patients, such as those in the early stages of type 2 diabetes, may have atypical symptoms such as itchy skin, blurred vision, and foamy urine which appears more foamy. There might also be dental cavities characterized by severe decay, or some men might experience sexual dysfunction. These symptoms may be related to diabetes, and if these symptoms appear, it is important to consider checking blood sugar levels to confirm the presence of diabetes.
Where to massage for diabetic foot
For diabetic patients, we do not recommend foot therapy. Why is that? First, the foot therapy institutions outside are not very professional; many individuals start working without proper training. The massage might lack strength, and the hygiene standards are often not met, which can lead to local injuries and infections. Second, diabetic patients have a specific bodily constitution due to high blood sugar levels, making their tissues particularly susceptible to damage. Once damaged, these tissues do not heal easily. If the hygiene is substandard, the feet of diabetic patients are especially prone to infection. Diabetic foot patients, because of poor blood supply, are also more susceptible to fungal infections. Therefore, given these factors, it is advised that diabetic patients avoid foot therapy.
How to determine if you have diabetes
If a patient experiences significant symptoms of dry mouth, excessive thirst, increased urination with more foamy urine, increased appetite, but an unexplained weight loss, known as the "three polys and one low" symptoms, it is necessary to monitor fasting blood glucose. If the fasting blood glucose exceeds 7.0 mmol/L or the blood glucose two hours after a meal exceeds 11.1 mmol/L, or if there are no clear "three polys and one low" symptoms but random blood glucose levels exceed 11.1 mmol/L on two occasions, a diagnosis of diabetes can be confirmed. At the same time, it is essential to rule out secondary effects on blood sugar levels caused by infections, trauma, or the use of steroid medications. It is also recommended that the patient undergo tests for glycated hemoglobin, as well as insulin and C-peptide release tests, to further clarify the diagnosis.
Can frequent urination be diabetes?
If the amount of urine increases, the first thing to consider is the possibility of diabetes. In this case, a routine urine test will reveal a significant increase in urinary glucose. If a blood test for blood glucose is performed, an increase in blood glucose will also be found. For this situation, it is necessary to go to the hospital's endocrinology department for hypoglycemic treatment in a timely manner. Secondly, diabetes insipidus should be considered, which also causes an increase in urine volume, and the patient will have obvious thirst. Routine urine tests find that blood sugar in the urine is not high, the specific gravity of urine will initially decrease, and the patient's daily urine output will exceed 2500 milliliters, even reaching more than 4000 milliliters.