This
is a temporary page. See the British Diabetic Association site for more details.
The key to good health for people with early diabetes is prevention
of problems. Diabetes has a very variable affect, hardly affecting some people, but for
others it can be a very serious condition.
Unless you are old it is important to control your sugar levels etc,
as below, to prevent problems.
It is important for nearly every person with diabetes to work with
their clinic or specialist nurse or doctor to achieve good control.
The recent UKPDS study (1998) confirms that problems are reduced in
people who are able to keep their blood pressure below 140/80.
Regular exercise, food with the minimum of salt, not too much alcohol are basic steps,
trying to reach a reasonable weight are all basic steps that help to achieve a low blood
pressure. If your blood pressure remains high tablets are usually needed.
Smoking makes problems far more likely, and it is very helpful to
stop. It is believed smoking multiplies the harmful effects of diabetes, not just adding
to them.
Feet of people with diabetes are very prone to serious problems. A
chiropodist or foot specialist should advise you how to do this. (Very basic advice will
be included in the next version of the site. See the British
Diabetic Association site.)
Some details may be included in the next version of this site, with
more links, but see the British Diabetic Association
site.
A diet with fruit, vegetables, and pulses such as beans or lentils
(without much salt or red meat or dairy products [without reduced fat]), with potatoes or
rice or pasta or bread are very general principles. Every person with diabetes may get
useful advice from a dietician now and again.
If you are overweight perhaps a dietician can give you particularly useful advice.
Exercise is helpful to keep healthy, especially if you are diabetic;
a minimum of 30 minutes walking, gardening, or swimming (or most other types of exercise)
is very helpful to aid control of sugar and prevention of other problems.Again, the British Diabetic Association site advises about
exercise for people who are unable to walk.
NIDDM- basically non-insulin dependant diabetes
and the family
In some families, especially those of Asian or American Indian
origin, diabetes is more common.
Even in the average UK family, if a person develops diabetes of the
NIDDM type, at perhaps 40-85 years of age, diabetes is much more common in the brothers
and sisters and sons and daughters of that person.
The WHO (World Health Organisation) recommended
- fasting blood sugar every three years for those who are related to
people with diabetes as above (and for smokers and people with hypertension and those who
are quite overweight.. even if there is no diabetes in the family)
- regular exercise and a healthy diet as above can delay or even
prevent diabetes in those at risk, that is the relations of people with this type of
diabetes.
- Such relations are naturally advised about the risks of smoking.
NIDDM- basically non-insulin dependant diabetes and control of sugar levels
Depending on how much insulin the pancreas produces and how the body
responds to it, people with this type of diabetes need a diet or tablets or insulin to
control this type of diabetes.
To prevent retinopathy (the most serious type of diabetic eye
disease) your ophthalmologist would prefer an HBA1c level of less than 7, especially if
you are in good health.
The HBA1c is a blood test that in most people
measures how good the control is over a 2 month period. It is different
from the blood sugar -- measuring the sugar tells you what it is that minute.
So if your HBA1c levels was 7 you diabetes is well controlled [the
sugar level may have varied]: ask your nurse what your HBA1c level is. If it is 8 or more,
you may need more treatment, but your diabetic nurse can advise.
If you already have lots of problems from your diabetes, you may not
need or be able to reach this level, and again your doctor or nurse can advise.)
This is a very complex area. Please see the British Diabetic Association (the Teenzone
page is helpful even if you are older!) or the diabetic.org.uk site. Because this is so
complex it is difficult to find advice on the internet, but I hope to find more links for
this site.
An ophthalmologist would prefer an HBA1c level
(see paragraph above) of 7 or below. Many people cannot reach this low level without
becoming ill from hypos, and many reach a level 8 or 9. With help from a specialist nurse
try and reach the lowest level you can that does not make you ill or suffer hypos.
Many diabetologists recommend the use of statins. These are tablets
that reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood. If you are an adult with diabetes,
especially an older person, discuss this with your doctor.
If your 'triglyceride' level in the blood is high, 'fibrate' type
drugs are usually helpful. |