Know your risk!
Diabetes mellitus is one of the most frequent diagnoses made around the world. It is not just an unhealthy level of sugar in blood but the implications are fathomless. To combat this anybody diagnosed with diabetes has to restructure their life building a lifestyle that minimizes the effects of diabetes and helps in maintaining blood sugar levels in a healthy range. For if not dealt with utmost diligence it can deteriorate health and hence the quality of life. Healthcare professionals critically emphasize early detection via going for diabetes screening. Apprehending this disease well is the key to staying safe and efficient management too.
Learn more about diabetes.
Here have a look at some numerical values that will help you realize how serious the risk is for you!
What Number Of People Suffer From Diabetes Worldwide?
An estimate shows us that worldwide 415 million suffer from this ailment making it 1 in every 11 of the world’s adult population. By 2040 61 million people will have diabetes across the globe. As much as 46% of people are living with undiagnosed diabetes.
There are different types of diabetes and so are their management and presentation. Knowing types of diabetes is an essential part of getting to know diabetes better.
Diabetes Is Classified Into The Following General Categories:
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disorder. It leads to the destruction of beta-cells of the pancreas. These are cells that are responsible for the production of insulin. Their absence leads to an absolute deficiency of insulin and hence increased blood sugar levels in the body. Anyone can develop this type of diabetes but it is most commonly diagnosed among children and adolescents. Injectable insulin is the only solution for type 1 diabetes management.
Type 2 Diabetes
Accounting for 90% of all diabetes cases type 2 diabetes is more prevalent in adults. In this situation, there is an inefficient use of insulin by the body or decreased production of insulin. This leads to abnormally raised blood sugar levels. The cornerstone to treat diabetes type 2 is lifestyle changes. These include incorporating physical activity in your daily life, reducing excess weight, and eating a healthy diet. With advancing, age people with this condition may require help from oral drugs or injectable insulin to maintain blood sugar levels in a healthy range.
Gestational Diabetes
This is the type associated with women specifically as it develops during pregnancy and usually resolves afterward. The presence f gestational diabetes increases health-associated risks for both mother and child. Moreover, such women and their children are at an elevated risk for the development of type 2 diabetes later. Diabetes screening in pregnancy is essential to ensure the safety of both mother and child.
Know more about the management of diabetes during pregnancy.
Specific Types of Diabetes
- Monogenic diabetes syndrome which includes neonatal diabetes and MODY (maturity-onset diabetes in young)
- Diseases of the exocrine pancreas include cystic fibrosis and pancreatitis.
- Drug-induced diabetes arises because of the use of glucocorticoids and drugs used for AIDS and organ transplantation.
How to Prevent Diabetes?
A large part of preventing diabetes is getting to know your risks and going through diabetes screening regularly. You may wonder why diabetes screening is important? Know that people at risk of developing diabetes can limit the chances of complications due to diabetes with the help of an early diagnosis. Diabetes screening not only helps in the diagnosis of diabetes but in the development’s prevention of diabetes as well. Through these tests, you can know if you fall in the prediabetes range and hence can ensure measures to decrease the likelihood of developing full-blown diabetes.
Here we have outlined all you need to know about diabetes screening and who should be screened?
What Is The Most Accurate Test For Diabetes Screening?
Diabetes screening tests most commonly used are:
1. Fasting Plasma Glucose Test
Includes testing blood sugar level after an eight-hour fast. If your blood sugar levels are found more than 100mg/dl you will be tested again to confirm the diagnosis of diabetes.
2. The Oral Glucose Tolerance Test
This requires a blood test two hours after drinking a glucose solution. Readings above 11.1mmol/L confirm diabetes diagnosis.
3. HbA1c
An HbA1c level higher than 6.5 confirms a diabetes diagnosis. A finger prick test should also confirm results.
The gold standard test for diabetes diagnosis is an oral glucose tolerance test.
If you carry risk factors such as family history and obesity. You can find and consult the best diabetologists in Pakistan using Marham.pk.
Who Should Go For Diabetes Screening?
Diabetes screening recommendations mostly refer to screening for type 2 diabetes. Since type 1 diabetes usually develops suddenly with distinct symptoms and hence can be diagnosed promptly. People with type 2 diabetes may not have any evident symptoms and may go unchecked for as long as 3 to 4 years. The latest diabetes screening recommendations by the American Diabetes Association imply that every individual above 45 years of age should get screened for diabetes every three years.
You may need to go for diabetes screening more frequently if you have the following risk factors:
- Obesity
- Family history
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Blood glucose level problems in the past
- Hypertension
- High cholesterol levels
- PCOS
- Having vascular diseases
- Gestational diabetes
- People of African-American, Hispanic-American. Native-American or Pacific Islander descent. Diabetes screening recommendation by some other organizations insists on screening at the age of 30 for high-risk individuals. However, the crux of the matter remains to be the same pertaining to early detection and making prevention possible.
Know how you can prevent DM if it runs in your family
Book an appointment now, to answer all your queries. You can book an appointment with top diabetologists in Pakistan through Marham by calling at Marham helpline: 0311-1222398 or by online appointment booking facility through the website or Marham mobile app.
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