Diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2 - treatment, symptoms, nutrition, prevention

Among the most common chronic diseases, diabetes mellitus is far from the last place in the modern world. This disease is expressed in an increased level of glucose in the blood cells. In a healthy person, the corresponding level is always normal, regardless of the amount of sweets consumed. It all has to do with the presence of insulin in the body - a special hormone secreted by the pancreas. It is the one that breaks down glucose.

Patients with diabetes also have insulin in their blood, but it is either not enough, or fails to cope with its functions due to a special pathology of the blood cells. The statistics are disappointing: many people pass the early stage of the disease, starting its course, and turn to specialists only when the symptoms become so severe that they interfere with normal life and work.

Types of diseases

The disease is expressed by many symptoms. Different forms of this disease appear for different reasons and have different pathogenesis. In itself, the concept of "diabetes" is quite broad. Experts distinguish 2 types of the disease.

type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is insulin dependent. It is most often diagnosed in young people, whose age does not exceed 40 years. This is a disease in which the blood cells are filled with sugar. The reason for this is the antibodies that destroy insulin. The disease, the appearance of which is associated with the presence of such antibodies, is not completely cured.

The diagnosis of this disease involves conducting serious laboratory tests. Such a diagnosis is not made from the picture, so you should not trust people who try to tell a person about his illness without even seeing the test results. At the first suspicion of an illness, you should immediately contact a medical institution.

People suffering from type 1 diabetes tend to have a poor physique. They need regular insulin injections from the moment the disease is diagnosed until the end of their lives. The medical history of such patients is standard. The disease is hereditary.

Those who have had diabetes in the family have a genetic predisposition to this disease. A chronic variant of this type of disease appears in those under certain circumstances. It can be provoked by a variety of viruses and bacteria, as well as by strong or long-term stress. Due to such negative factors, antibodies are formed that can destroy the cells responsible for the presence of insulin.

type 2 diabetes

Independent of insulin, the second type of disease is often diagnosed in elderly people. This is a variant of the disease, characterized by the inability of insulin to cope with its main function. Sugar cannot be broken down by itself and accumulates in the blood. Gradually, the body's cells develop an "addiction" to insulin. The hormone itself is produced, there is no shortage of it, but the glucose in the cells does not break down.

The insulin-independent variant of this disease has its own progressive development. As a rule, this disease is detected in people over forty years old, but sometimes it is also found in children. Patients suffering from this type of diabetes mellitus are overweight. The blood cells of such people cease to be able to perceive any effect of insulin.

Characteristics of type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is the result of insufficient secretion (release) of insulin from the pancreas. Specialists show characteristic symptoms that make it possible to suspect the presence of this disease in a person even in the early stages. Among them: a constant feeling of thirst, excessive urination, fatigue, a chronic feeling of weakness. It is necessary to determine the level of glucose and insulin in the blood. If the diagnosis is confirmed, treatment is immediately prescribed, otherwise the patient may develop ulcers and a wide range of other complications.

Why does type 1 diabetes develop? The classical school of medicine gives a clear answer to this question. The main cause of this disease is a disorder of the pancreas, in which the formation of insulin stops or slows down significantly. It is also worth noting that pregnant women have so-called gestational diabetes, associated with the risk of developing a form of insulin-dependent disease.

Let's not forget to discuss very specific topics and symptoms. Often type 1 diabetes is accompanied by the formation of the smell of acetone in the oral cavity. These are the first bells of the body, which should alert and encourage a person to contact a specialist. The sooner in this case the patient goes to the doctor, the more likely it is that the disease will be detected at an early stage. However, often people, and especially men, neglect to visit a specialist and live for a year or several years, not even knowing about their diagnosis, until it becomes completely unbearable.

Indirect signs of diabetes mellitus form 1 include:

1. Complications in the treatment of infectious diseases;
2. Poor wound healing;
3. Difficulty in walking;
4. Pain in calf muscles;

It is also important to remember that people suffering from this disease must constantly monitor their blood pressure and maintain its normal state with modern drugs. Specific drugs should be prescribed exclusively by a specialist, based on the diagnosis and individual characteristics of the patient.

How to detect type 1 diabetes?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined the procedures that people should go through if they suspect the presence of this disease. Their list includes:

• Blood test for glucose;
• Glucose tolerance study;
• Detection of glucose levels in urine;
• Calculation of the percentage of glycosylated hemoglobin;
• Detection of insulin and C-peptide in blood.

You should know that blood must be taken for analysis on an empty stomach. The results of the study are compared with the values of the glucose level in a separate table. If this level:

1. It does not reach 6. 1 mmol / l - there is no hyperglycemia, the disease is excluded;
2. It is in the range from 6. 1 to 7. 0 mmol / l - the level of glycemia is close to the maximum permissible;
3. It exceeds 7. 0 mmol / l - the presence of a disease is very likely, but an accurate diagnosis requires additional confirmation.

The pre-diabetic state of a person is indicated by a violation of glucose tolerance - an increase in blood sugar, which, however, has not yet gone beyond the permissible limits. A patient with such findings needs further monitoring and prophylaxis.

How is type 1 diabetes treated?

There are the following treatments for this disease: a special diet, exercise, medications.

Properly selected food system helps to alleviate the main symptoms of diabetes. The main task of the diet is to limit the intake of sugar in the body as much as possible.

How to treat the disease? In situations with type 1 disease, in most cases, regular insulin injections are necessary. Experts determine the optimal daily dose of this hormone for each patient individually.

Preparations containing insulin are absorbed into the blood at different rates and act for different times. It is necessary to choose the right places for injections. There are several types of this hormone:

• Short-acting insulin: its effect can be observed almost immediately;
• Intermediate insulin is delivered to the body through a special preparation that contains substances that slow down the absorption of the hormone. This medicine acts for about 10 hours;
• Long-acting insulin. It is supplied to the body through a series of special drugs. It should take about 14 hours to reach peak effectiveness. Hubbub is valid for at least a day and a half.

As a rule, patients inject the drugs themselves, having learned how to give themselves injections under the guidance of a specialist.

The doctor builds a treatment regimen specifically based on the patient's presentation, reflecting factors such as:

1. Growth;
2. Weight;
3. Age;
4. Insulin sensitivity.

If a patient with diabetes is overweight, then a mandatory measure of treatment and prevention is to reduce the percentage of high-calorie foods in the menu. It is harmful to use canned food, fatty meat, smoked food, yogurt, mayonnaise, nuts and many fruits. We will have to forget the sweets. This is especially difficult if the disease is diagnosed in children or in women who tend to be pampered.

We need to look for ways to reduce the amount of high-calorie foods. There is an energy deficit and the body consumes adipose tissue. However, it must be remembered that you cannot drive yourself to energy exhaustion.

Physical activity helps lower blood sugar levels. Moderate workload required. Exercises should be done regularly, dosed. No need to strain yourself with heavy weights. Enough aerobic exercise.

So-called insulin pumps can significantly improve the quality of life of patients. These are devices from the world of electronics that accurately determine the level of sugar in the blood, and based on the readings received, they independently perform dosed injections of insulin. They make the treatment more effective and minimize the risk of complications.

How to store insulin preparations?

Opened vials can be stored at room temperature for up to six weeks. They should be kept in places where sunlight or artificial light does not penetrate. Do not store preparations containing insulin near heat sources.

The inadmissibility of the use of the drug is indicated by the formation of a characteristic film or clot inside the vial, visually similar to flakes. This signal plays an important role. Using an expired medicine threatens to increase problems with the disease and can even lead to fatal consequences.

type 2 diabetes mellitus

The pancreas of those with type 2 diabetes produces enough insulin on its own, but the body is unable to absorb this hormone due to malfunctioning cell receptors. Glucose is not processed properly, as a result blood vessels and internal organs are damaged. This can be especially dangerous during pregnancy. However, the non-insulin-dependent form is typical for older people.

Diabetes of the second variety is formed for certain reasons, the main of which is considered to be obesity and a genetic predisposition to this disease. According to statistics, about 80% of patients with type 2 diabetes are obese. Can you recover completely by reducing your body weight? The answer here will be negative, but as a preventive measure, this measure can be very effective. According to the generally accepted scientific concept, an excess of fat cells prevents the body from using insulin.

Symptoms and complications of type 2 diabetes

The symptoms of the first and second types of the disease are similar in many respects: strong thirst is accompanied by excessive urination, a person constantly feels bad - weakness and fatigue, periods of irritability, sometimes nausea and vomiting.

Special attention should be paid to possible complications. According to the latest International Classification of Diseases (MBC 10), their list is quite extensive and causes great concern to patients. If the blood is full of glucose, then pathological changes in almost every internal organ are inevitable. In the advanced stages of the disease, patients are also given disability.

In patients with type 2 diabetes, the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke, all types of kidney disease and visual impairment are significantly increased. Even small wounds do not heal for a long time. Sometimes the disease becomes capable of leading to gangrene, which may require amputation of the affected limb. The list of complications for men includes impotence. Such a serious list of negative aspects forces specialists to continue to find ways for the most effective therapy today.

What does it mean when you find signs of illness?

If there are first suspicions of type 2 diabetes, it is urgent to undergo a medical examination. People who are aware of their genetic predisposition to this disease should regularly monitor the content of sugar in the blood and urine. This is especially true for people age 50 and older, as well as anyone who is overweight.

If the diagnosis has already been established, the patient should be under medical supervision and periodically visit a specialist.

For people with type 2 diabetes, doctors prescribe:

• Control glucose and cholesterol levels, as well as body weight;
• Change your diet by adding low-calorie foods to the menu, in which there should be as little sugar as possible. You should eat more complex carbohydrates and foods with vegetable fiber;
• Exercise regularly.

Patients should learn how to independently determine the level of glucose in the blood. Today, there are specialized devices that make this easy at home. They are called glucometers.

It is necessary to constantly adhere to strict self-control. Treatment is inextricably linked to diet therapy and exercise. These points effectively complement therapy based on the use of sugar-lowering drugs, medically referred to as incretin mimetics. Most often, these are tablets, not injections, as is the case with drugs containing insulin.

A specific drug should be prescribed exclusively by the doctor, based on all the data he has about the patient. He must individually determine the frequency of subsequent visits. It is necessary to carry out many tests, to determine what is the general condition of the patient, if there is a risk of developing complications, the prevention of which will require additional treatment.

With the help of the results of numerous scientific studies, experts managed to discover that along with weight loss, the disease takes a weaker form. As a result, its symptoms are less excruciating for patients and their quality of life improves significantly.

Recently, a new drug, the Chinese diabetes patch, has been widely advertised in the media. Its producers promise an almost miraculous effect, asking you not to save money and buy their products. However, practitioners of conventional medicine are skeptical about this treatment option. If you read online reviews about this patch, they are extremely conflicting. Some write that they allegedly helped. Others are completely disappointed in this drug.

Measures for prevention

Authoritative experts in the field of medicine have long proven that stress is a provoking factor in the development of many diseases. It can also contribute to diabetes, so you should avoid worrying and try not to react less to any trouble in life.

As mentioned above, you should exercise and take care of your diet. There are specially designed diets that are beneficial for the health of such patients. If you strictly adhere to the doctor's recommendations, you can significantly improve the quality of your life, getting rid of a significant part of the symptoms that accompany this disease.

It is necessary to exclude some products from the menu. Often, specialists prescribe the so-called diet 9. Its purpose is to minimize the consumption of foods that contain a large amount of carbohydrates. It has been proven that in patients who use this diet, the work of the pancreas improves significantly.

What products are allowed to be consumed? Their list includes: low-fat varieties of meat and fish; cabbage, cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes and zucchini; buckwheat, barley, millet and oats. Apples and strawberries are also allowed, but in moderation. Dairy products can only be consumed with low fat. After such a meal, the blood sugar level will not rise to an unacceptable level.

In the medical selection of the menu, the structural composition of the food must be taken into account. The diet should include:

1. 55% animal grade protein (80-90 grams).
2. 30% vegetable fat (70-80 grams).
3. 300-350 grams of carbohydrates.
4. 12 grams of table salt
5. One and a half liters of juice.

Do not consume more than 2200-2400 kcal per day. You should eat 5-6 times a day, evenly "spreading" the consumption of carbohydrates over time. Sugar will have to be eliminated. Sweet dishes are prepared in small quantities and only with sugar substitutes such as stevia, sorbitol or xylitol.

Salt intake should also be limited. The cooking method is important. Boiled and baked dishes should prevail in the diet. Fried and boiled food is acceptable for consumption in a minimal amount. There are recipes specially designed for diabetics. After them, you can cook delicious dishes that will not harm your health.

On the day you have to stick to a certain menu. So, diet number 9 can be represented by:

• In the morning: tea, buckwheat porridge, fat-free cottage cheese, milk;
• Second meal: wheat bran (boiled);
• Lunch: cabbage soup with sunflower oil (vegetarian), fruit jelly, boiled meat with milk sauce;
• Afternoon snack: a small amount of apples;
• Evening meal: boiled fish baked in milk sauce, as well as cabbage dish.

What do they eat during the week?

Table number 9 is the fruit of the work of Soviet nutritionists. They created a suitable food option for specialized sanatoriums. The ninth table significantly increases the effectiveness of complex therapy.

The menu for the week looks like this:

Monday

• Breakfast: chicory, fat-free cottage cheese with milk, porridge (buckwheat).
• Lunch: 200 ml of milk.
• Lunch: vegetarian cabbage soup, white poultry breast, fruit jelly.
• Afternoon: apple.
• Evening meal: boiled fish, tea, cabbage dish.
• Before going to bed: a glass of low-fat yogurt.

Tuesday

• First meal: barley, chicken egg, chicory, boiled cabbage.
• Lunch: a glass of milk (suitable only with low fat).
• Lunch: mashed potatoes, boiled beef liver, pickle soup, dried fruit compote.
• Afternoon snack: fruit jelly.
• Evening meal: boiled chicken, boiled cabbage.
• Before going to bed: low-fat kefir.

Wednesday

• First meal: cottage cheese and fat-free milk, chicory, porridge with oats.
• Lunch: a cup of jelly.
• Lunch: borscht, boiled meat, buckwheat porridge, tea.
• Afternoon snack: a pear or two.
• Evening meal: salad or vinaigrette, eggs, tea.
• Before going to bed: a glass of low-fat yogurt.

Thursday

• First meal: buckwheat porridge, chicory, low-fat cottage cheese.
• Second breakfast: kefir.
• Lunch: fat-free borscht, dried fruit compote, boiled meat.
• Afternoon snack: pear without sugar.
• For an evening meal: cabbage schnitzel, boiled fish of low-fat tea varieties.
• Before going to bed: a glass of fat-free yogurt.

Friday

• First meal: eggs, a little butter, potato-free vinaigrette with sunflower oil, chicory.
• Lunch: apple.
• Lunch: sauerkraut, boiled or stewed meat, pea soup.
• Afternoon snack: some fresh fruit.
• Evening meal: vegetable pudding, boiled poultry, tea.
• Before going to bed: a glass of sour milk.

Saturday

• First meal: millet porridge, chicory, some doctor's sausage.
• Lunch: wheat bran.
• Lunch: boiled meat, mashed potatoes, seafood soup.
• Afternoon snack: a glass of low-fat kefir.
• Evening meal: low-fat cottage cheese, tea, oatmeal.

Sunday

• First meal: chicken egg, chicory, buckwheat porridge.
• Lunch: an apple or two.
• Lunch: beef cutlet, light vegetable soup, pearl barley porridge.
• Afternoon snack: skimmed milk.
• Evening meal: vegetable salad, boiled fish, mashed potatoes.
• Before going to bed: low-fat kefir.

Folk methods of treatment

In folk medicine, there are many recipes that, with varying degrees of effectiveness, help fight high blood sugar. Certified doctors are often skeptical of such treatment methods, but they do not prevent patients from using them in conjunction with the main therapy. This "integrated approach" often gives positive results, allowing patients to reduce the manifestation of painful symptoms.

The most effective recipes of traditional medicine:

• For prevention, an egg with the addition of lemon juice will help. Shake the contents of a raw egg, add the juice of a lemon. Waiting 50-60 minutes before meals, 3 days, in the morning. After ten days, the course can be repeated.
• In the morning, eat roasted onions for a month.
• A good way to lower glucose levels is to eat some mustard or flax seeds every day, plus black grape leaf tea.
• The use of freshly squeezed potato juice contributes to lowering the sugar level. Raspberries and white cabbage are also used.
• White mulberry tincture (2 tablespoons) is prepared by pouring boiling water (2 cups), infusion time is 2-3 hours, taken 3 times a day.
• Do not forget about such a popular remedy as a decoction of oats. Pour a tablespoon of oat grains with water (a glass and a half), then boil for 15 minutes, the course is 3 r / d 15-20 minutes before meals.
• Cinnamon helps - half a teaspoon a day. Consume it with tea.
• Grind the acorns until a powder is obtained. Course - 1 hour / l on an empty stomach in the morning, as well as immediately before bedtime for seven days.
• Pour the walnut sections (40 g) with boiling water (500 ml) and put on fire. Boil for ten minutes. Insist until they soften, drink 1 tablespoon / l half an hour before meals.
• Pour boiling water (half a liter) aspen bark (2 tablespoons), put everything on fire and cook for about 10 minutes. Insisting, drink half a glass before eating.
• An effective infusion is prepared from a glass of boiling water, which is poured over cloves (20 pieces). Insist at night, drink exactly one third of a glass three times a day. Do not remove the used cloves, add another tip in the evening, pour boiling water again, etc. The course of treatment is six months.
• Make half a liter of boiling water two tablespoons of mixture of nettles with rowan berries in the ratio: three to seven. Leave it for about three to four hours. Take half a glass twice a day.
• Pour burdock roots (20 g) with boiling water (a glass), boil in a water bath for about 10 minutes. The course is 3 times a day for a table / bed before meals.

All information provided to readers in the article is for informational purposes only. Before using the information obtained in practice, be sure to consult a competent specialist about the possible consequences!