Type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus - treatment, symptoms, nutrition, prevention

Among the most common chronic diseases, diabetes mellitus is far from last 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's all about the presence in the body of insulin - a special hormone that the pancreas secretes. It is he who breaks down glucose.

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

types of disease

The disease is expressed by multiple symptoms. Different forms of this disease occur for different reasons and have different pathogenesis. By itself, the concept of "diabetes" is quite extensive. Specialists 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 where the blood cells are full of sugar. The reason for this is antibodies that destroy insulin. The disease, the occurrence of which is associated with the presence of such antibodies, is not completely cured.

The diagnosis of this disease involves carrying out serious laboratory tests. This diagnosis is not made from the photo; therefore, you should not trust people who are trying to tell a person about their illness without even seeing the test results. At the first suspicion of a disease, you should immediately contact a medical institution.

People who suffer from type 1 diabetes tend to have a thin physique. They need regular insulin injections from the time 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 their family have a genetic predisposition to this disease. A chronic variant of this type of disease occurs in them under certain circumstances. It can be brought on by a variety of viruses and bacteria, as well as strong or long-term stress. Due to these negative factors, antibodies are formed that can destroy the cells responsible for the presence of insulin.

Type 2 diabetes

Regardless of insulin, the second type of the disease is often diagnosed in older people. This is a variant of the disease, characterized by the inability of insulin to handle its main function. Sugar does not break down on its own and accumulate 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 is not broken down.

The insulin-independent variant of this disease has its own progressive development. As a rule, this disease is detected in people over forty, but sometimes it is even found in children. Patients suffering from this type of diabetes mellitus are overweight. Their blood cells are no longer able to perceive any effect of insulin.

Features of type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is the result of insufficient secretion (release) of insulin by the pancreas. Specialists indicate characteristic symptoms that allow 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 prescribed immediately, otherwise the patient may develop ulcers and a wide range of other complications.

Why does type 1 diabetes develop? The classical medical school gives an unequivocal answer to this question. The main cause of this disease is a disorder of the pancreas, in which the formation of insulin stops or significantly decreases. It is also worth noting that pregnant women have the so-called gestational diabetes, associated with the risk of developing an insulin-dependent form of the 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 in the body, which should alert and encourage the person to contact a specialist. The sooner, in this case, the patient comes to the doctor, the more likely the disease is to be detected at an early stage. However, many times people, and especially men, fail to visit a specialist and live for a year or several years, not even knowing their diagnosis, until it becomes completely unbearable.

Indirect signs of form 1 diabetes mellitus include:

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

It is also important to remember that people suffering from this disease must constantly monitor their own blood pressure and maintain its normal state with modern medications. Specific drugs must 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 need to 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 the urine;
• Calculation of the percentage of glycosylated hemoglobin;
• Detection of insulin and C-peptide in the blood.

You should know that blood must be collected for analysis on an empty stomach. Study results are compared with glucose level values in a special 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 of 6. 1 to 7. 0 mmol / l - the blood glucose level is close to the maximum allowed;
3. Exceeds 7. 0 mmol / l - the presence of a disease is very likely, but an accurate diagnosis requires further confirmation.

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

How is type 1 diabetes treated?

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

Properly selected nutrition system helps 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 of type 1 disease, in most cases, regular injections of insulin are indispensable. Specialists determine the optimal daily dose of this hormone for each individual patient.

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

• Short-acting insulin: its effect can be noticed almost instantly;
• Intermediate insulin is delivered to the body through a special preparation containing substances that delay the absorption of the hormone. This medicine works for about 10 hours;
• Long-acting insulin. It is supplied to the body through a series of special medications. It should take about 14 hours to reach peak effectiveness. The buzz is valid for at least a day and a half.

As a rule, patients make the introduction of drugs on their own, having learned to inject themselves under the guidance of a specialist.

The physician builds a treatment regimen in a special way based on the patient's presentation, reflecting factors such as:

1. Growth;
2. The weight;
3. Was;
4. Insulin susceptibility.

If a patient with diabetes is overweight, a mandatory treatment and prevention measure is to reduce the percentage of high-calorie foods on the menu. It is harmful to use canned foods, fatty meats, smoked foods, sour cream, mayonnaise, nuts and too many fruits. We'll have to forget about the sweets. This is especially difficult if the disease is diagnosed in children or in women who tend to pamper themselves.

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 bring yourself to exhaustion of energy.

Physical activity helps lower blood sugar levels. Moderate workload required. Exercises should be done regularly, dosed. There is no need to exhaust yourself with heavy weights. Lots of aerobic exercise.

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

How to store insulin preparations?

Opened vials can be stored at room temperature for no longer than six weeks. They must be kept in places where sunlight or artificial light does not penetrate. Do not store insulin-containing preparations near sources of heat.

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

type 2 diabetes mellitus

The pancreas of people 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 are damaged as well as internal organs. 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 ones being considered overweight and a genetic predisposition to this disease. According to statistics, about 80% of patients with type 2 diabetes are obese. Can you fully recover by reducing your own body weight? The answer here will be no, 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

Symptoms of the first and second types of the disease are similar in many ways: strong thirst is accompanied by excessive urination, a person constantly feels unwell - weakness and fatigue, bouts of irritability, sometimes nausea and vomiting.

Special attention should be paid to possible complications. According to the latest International Classification of Diseases (MBC 10), its list is quite extensive and inspires great concern in patients. If the blood is full of glucose, pathological changes in almost all internal organs are inevitable. In the advanced stages of the disease, patients even receive 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 don't heal for long. Sometimes the disease becomes capable of leading to gangrene, which may require amputation of the injured limb. The list of complications for men completes impotence. Such a serious list of negatives compels experts to continue to find paths to the most effective therapy today.

What makes sense to do when you find signs of illness?

If there are first suspicions of diabetes of the second form, it is urgent to undergo a medical examination. People who are aware of their genetic predisposition to this disease should regularly monitor their blood and urine sugar content. This is especially true for people aged 50 and over, as well as all those who are overweight.

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

For people with type 2 diabetes, doctors prescribe:

• Control glucose and cholesterol levels, as well as body weight;
• Change your own diet by adding low-calorie foods to your menu that contain as little sugar as possible. You need to eat more complex carbohydrates and plant fiber foods;
• Practice exercises regularly.

Patients need to learn to independently determine their blood glucose level. Today, there are specialized devices that make it easy to do this at home. They are called glucometers.

It is necessary to constantly adhere to strict self-control. Treatment is inextricably linked with dietary therapy and exercise. These points effectively complement therapy based on the use of hypoglycemic drugs, referred to in medicine as incretin mimetics. Most of the time these are pills, not injections, as is the case with medicines that contain insulin.

A specific drug must be prescribed exclusively by a 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 establish 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 various scientific studies, experts have found that along with weight loss, the disease takes on a weaker form. As a result, their symptoms are less tormenting for patients and their quality of life improves significantly.

Recently, a new drug, the Chinese diabetes patch, has been widely reported in the media. Its manufacturers promise an almost miraculous effect, urging you not to save money and buy their products. However, practitioners of conventional medicine are skeptical about this treatment option. If you read comments on the Internet about this patch, they are extremely contradictory. Some write that they supposedly helped. Others are completely disappointed with this remedy.

prevention measures

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

As mentioned above, you should exercise and watch your own diet. There are specially designed diets that are beneficial for the health of these patients. If you strictly follow the doctor's recommendations, you can significantly improve the quality of your own life, eliminating a significant part of the symptoms that accompany this disease.

It is necessary to exclude certain products from the menu. Specialists often prescribe the so-called diet 9. Its objective is to minimize the consumption of foods that contain a large amount of carbohydrates. It has been proven that in patients using this diet, the work of the pancreas significantly improves.

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

In medical menu selection, the structural composition of foods is necessarily 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 liquid.

Do not consume more than 2200-2400 kcal per day. You need to eat 5-6 times a day, evenly "distributing" your carbohydrate consumption over time. The sugar will have to be eliminated. Sweet dishes are prepared in small amounts 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 stewed foods are acceptable for consumption in a minimal amount. There are recipes designed specifically for diabetics. By following them, you can cook delicious dishes that will not harm your health.

On the day you need to adhere to a certain menu. Thus, 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 jam, boiled meat with milk sauce;
• Afternoon snack: a small amount of apples;
• Dinner: fish cooked in milk sauce, as well as cabbage dishes.

What do they eat during the week?

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

This week's menu looks like this:

Monday

• Breakfast: chicory, fat-free cottage cheese with milk, porridge (buckwheat).
• Lunch: 200 ml of milk.
• Lunch: Vegetarian Cabbage Soup, White Bird Breast, Fruit Jam.
• Afternoon: apple.
• Dinner: boiled fish, tea, cabbage dishes.
• Before going to bed: a glass of low-fat yogurt.

Tuesday

• First meal: barley, hen's egg, chicory, sautéed cabbage.
• Lunch: a glass of milk (only low-fat milk is suitable).
• Lunch: mashed potatoes, boiled beef liver, pickle soup, dried fruit compote.
• Afternoon snack: fruit jam.
• Dinner: boiled chicken, stewed cabbage.
• Before going to bed: low-fat kefir.

Wednesday

• The first meal: fat-free cottage cheese and milk, chicory, oatmeal.
• Lunch: a mug of jam.
• Lunch: borscht, boiled meat, buckwheat porridge, tea.
• Afternoon snack: one or two pears.
• Dinner: salad or vinaigrette, egg, tea.
• Before going to bed: a glass of low-fat yogurt.

Thursday

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

Friday

• First meal: egg, a little butter, vinaigrette without potatoes with sunflower oil, chicory.
• Lunch: apple.
• Lunch: sauerkraut, stew or boiled meat, soup with peas.
• Afternoon snack: some fresh fruit.
• Dinner: pudding with vegetables, boiled poultry, tea.
• Before bed: a glass of curdled milk.

Saturday

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

Sunday

• First meal: chicken egg, chicory, buckwheat porridge.
• Lunch: an apple or two.
• Lunch: Beef chop, light vegetable soup, pearl barley porridge.
• Afternoon snack: skimmed milk.
• Dinner: 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 physicians are generally skeptical of these treatment methods, but do not prohibit patients from using them in conjunction with their main therapy. This "integrated approach" often gives positive results, allowing patients to reduce the manifestation of painful symptoms.

The most effective traditional medicine recipes:

• For prevention, an egg with the addition of lemon juice will help. Stir the contents of a raw egg, add the juice of a lemon. Reception 50-60 minutes before meals, 3 days in the morning. After ten days, the course can be taken again.
• In the morning, eat roasted onions for a month.
• A good way to lower your glucose levels is to have a little mustard or flaxseed daily, in addition to blackcurrant leaf tea.
• The use of freshly squeezed potato juice helps to lower the sugar level. Raspberries and white cabbage are also used.
• White blackberry tincture (2 tablespoons) is prepared by pouring boiling water (2 cups), the infusion time is 2-3 hours, taken 3 times a day.
• Do not forget about a folk remedy like an oatmeal decoction. 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 with tea.
• Grind oak acorns to a powder. Course - 1 h / l on an empty stomach in the morning, as well as immediately before bed for seven days.
• Pour the walnut partitions (40 g) with boiling water (500 ml) and bring to a boil. Boil ten minutes. Insist until soft, drink 1 tbsp / l half an hour before meals.
• Pour boiling water (half a liter) of poplar bark (2 tablespoons), put everything on the fire and cook for about 10 minutes. Having insisted, drink half a glass before eating.
• An effective infusion is prepared from a glass of boiling water, which is poured over the cloves (20 pieces). Insist overnight, drink three times a day exactly one third of a glass. Do not remove used cloves, add another pinch to them at night, pour boiling water again, etc. The course of treatment is six months.
• Brew half a liter of boiling water two tablespoons of mixture of nettle with rowan berries in the ratio: three to seven. Leave for about three to four hours. Drink 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 about the possible consequences with a competent specialist!