Thursday, January 6, 2011

Type 1 Diabetes Causes And Other Information

Type 1 Diabetes is a condition that is not very common and about 10% of the population of those with the diabetes suffer from this kind of disease. This is quite different from the other kinds of diabetes. There are many different kinds of diabetes and a person should be aware of the signs of diabetes and also the symptoms of diabetes to identify the disease as soon as the person is affected by it.

This kind of Type 1 Diabetes affects people from a younger age. There are many people who are affected in their childhood and many more are affected in their adolescent age. Many of the adults who are diagnosed with diabetes suffer from the Type 2 diabetes. There are many other names by which this Type 1 Diabetes is called. The common names include the juvenile diabetes and the insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. The disease can also be called by the name juvenile onset diabetes, since the onset of the disease is in the adolescent age.

The main reason for the disease to affect people is that there is little or no insulin being produced by the pancreas. The pancreas are the organs that are very important for the body to produce the insulin. There are times when the pancreas stop producing the insulin. When there is no insulin in the body, there is a lack of ability of the body to regulate the glucose level in the body.

The lack of pancreatic function causes decreased insulin production or there is no insulin production leading to this kind of diabetes. Though young people are commonly affected, even older people can be affected by this kind of type 1 diabetes. Older people may be affected in case the pancreas are damaged by trauma or other conditions. Many people whose pancreas are damaged due to alcoholism suffer from this kind of diabetes. Similar is the case of those who have the pancreas removed in a surgical procedure due to damage to the organ.

As the pancreas fail to function, the person who is suffering from this disease will have very less or no insulin production. In those with Type 1 diabetes, since there is no insulin to regulate the glucose level in the blood, the person has to have artificial insulin injection. This insulin treatment is the only method of making the person to live with Type 1 diabetes.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

The Various Risk Factors For Diabetes

Diabetes is one of the major health problems of this century. It is one of the silent killers, just like hypertension. There are many people who suffer from this disease, especially in countries like India. Though the disease may not be deadly in the initial stages, it can lead to various problems that can cause significant amount of morbidity and mortality.

So what are the risk factors of diabetes? There are several risk factors of this disease. One of the major risk factors is the fact that there is a hereditary link to it, but there are also many other risk factors of this disease. They are all listed here.

Hereditary: The major cause of diabetes is the hereditary cause. Any person whose parents are suffering from diabetes has a higher chance of also suffering from the disease. This is mainly because of the fact that the genes are transferred from the mother to the child during birth. Though the disease is hereditary in nature, changing the lifestyle pattern of the person will help to reduce the risk of being affected by this disease.

Lack of exercise: The exercise that a person does is very important for the person to prevent diseases like diabetes. The reason for this is that when the person does not do a lot of exercises, all the food that is taken by the person will be stored as fat in the body. The fat deposits will accumulate and can lead to increased cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes. So regular exercise will help to reduce the calories stored in the body.

Diet: A healthy diet is very important. Unhealthy diet is a very common cause of diabetes. The diet should include a lot of fiber. Lack of fiber in the diet will lead to diseases like diabetes. Other than the inclusion of fiber, reduction in high calorie diet and processed foods will reduce the risk of suffering from diabetes. Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables that are natural will help to reduce the risk of suffering from diabetes.

There are many other risk factors of diabetes. These are the 3 top risk factors of diabetes. These are also the most preventable risk factors. Any person who is used to unhealthy diet should modify the diet pattern and start doing regular exercises. This will prevent the person from suffering from the disease.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Nail care and prevention of diabetic foot complications

Nail care is something that most people do not spend a lot of thought on. If you are a diabetic, then you have to be very careful with the nails on your foot. There are a lot of complications that can occur in the foot because of improper nail care. A diabetic foot is a foot that does not have adequate blood supply due to the disease. The foot of a person with diabetes may also have decreased or lost sensation. When the sensation is decreased or when there is no blood supply, then the foot is considered to be a diabetic foot.

Nail care forms an important aspect of foot care. When the nails are not trimmed properly, they can lead to various complications. Some of the complications that can occur in the diabetic foot due to improper nail care are listed here.

1. Infection: The nail can cause a lot of bacteria to collect which can cause infection if there is even a mild opening in the skin of the person. Infection can be very dangerous because it can lead to various complications in the foot of the person. Infection should be prevented at all costs and so the nail should be kept clean. Proper cleaning of the nail with water is very important. The nail should also be kept dry as much as possible to prevent any infection from exacerbating.

2. Cutting the nails straight: The nails should be cut straight. This is because if they are curved, then the edges of the nails can cause a cut in the skin next to it. This injury or break in the skin can lead to various problems like infection. If the wound is caused because of the nail, then the wound can become bigger if there is any decreased sensation or lack of blood supply in the area.

3. Avoid exposure to dirty water: The nails can become damaged if they are exposed to the dirty water that is present in public toilets and other similar places. The individual should make sure that the nails are not exposed to such infections. You should make sure than even if the nails get wet, they are cleaned with dirty water and then wiped dry to prevent further damage to the nails.

These are the major nail care activities that a person with diabetic foot should undergo to prevent damage to the nails.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Why Is Diabetes Foot Care Important?

Diabetic foot care is very important because of the fact that diabetes foot is one of the major causes of amputation of the foot. There are many people who suffer from various kinds of foot problems. There can be nail problems, skin problems, lack of blood circulation. Each of these problems are compounded by the diabetic foot.

The reason due to which the diabetic foot care is important are listed here in detail.

1. Risk of amputation:

The people who have loss of sensation or lack of blood circulation are at a very high risk of suffering from an ulcer in the foot. This causes the person to have a high risk of amputation. Once amputation occurs, there is a decrease in the life expectancy. This is one of the primary reasons for a person to be very careful about the foot and have good diabetic foot care.

2. Immediate damage:

The problems that are associated with the diabetic foot is that they can exacerbate immediately within a short time. There are many people who suffer from problems in their foot and unless they are extra careful, if they are diabetic, the foot complication can lead to long term morbidity and even mortality. Many diseases that cause complication may not cause any damage instantly, but in a person with diabetes, the complications can be instantaneous and this is the main reason for the person who is suffering from the diabetic foot problems to take extra care and precautions.

3. Infection:

Any of the diabetic foot complications can lead to infection, The lack of blood supply in the foot can lead to severe infection. The blood causes a reduction in infection by removing the harmful organisms from the site of injury. If there is a decreased blood supply, then it can lead to severe infection in the injury site. So, the diabetic foot care is important because if the foot is not taken care properly, then it can lead to systemic infection, which can finally lead to the death of the individual. All these facts are sure to have made you to understand the importance of diabetes foot care to prevent any complications from occurring.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Diabetes Foot Care

Diabetes is a condition that affects almost people of all age groups. The condition is very dangerous because it causes not only damage to the body, but can also cause other diseases to occur in the person.

If you are suffering from diabetes, then you should be very careful as the nerves in your body can be affected. This can cause you to have decreased sensation in yur feet. This decreased sensation can cause you to have increased risk of damage to the foot. In fact you can get ulcers that can become chronic

There are many diabetics who have even had amputations because of these ulcers. There are certain simple methods of saving your feet and that is by caring for oyou r feet and protecting it from any further damage.

The various emthods of diabetes foot care are:
1. Daily inspection of your feet to make sure that you do not have any injury in your feet.
2. Wear soft footwear that will help to cushion and protect your feet.
3. Cut your nails straight and not curved.
4. Look for any blisters on your feet and take preventive steps to reduce it immediately.

These are some of the methods of caring for your feet.