Diabetic patients across the globe today have increased to around 422 million (42.2 crores) from 108 million (10.8 crores) patients in 1980, approx. rise of 400%. The prevalence of diabetes drastically increased among the people of the middle class and lower class. Premature death due to diabetes has also increased by 5% since 2000. In the year 2019, diabetes became a direct cause of death of 1.5 million (15 lakhs) people. In India, a survey driven by the government has shown that around 73 million (7.3 crores) adults in India are living with diabetes and that every sixth person with diabetes in the world is Indian. The country solely lost more than 6.4 lakh people because of diabetes.

WHAT IS DIABETES?

When the pancreatic gland stops producing insulin (a hormone that regulates the level of glucose in the blood), glucose levels in the bloodstream go up, resulting in diabetes. This condition severely affects the nerves and blood vessels of the body.

Diabetes impacts our health badly. Our lifestyle also has a role to play in diabetes. There are different types of diabetes based on the severity of the condition.

A FEW MAJOR TYPES OF DIABETES ARE:

Type-1 Diabetes: 10% of total diabetes cases are of type-1 diabetes. This type of diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which our body destroys the cells of the pancreas that produce insulin.

Type-2 Diabetes: This is the most common type of diabetes, more than 90% of people with diabetes are type-2 diabetes patients. Type-2 diabetes occurs when our body does not produce enough insulin or our body cells do not respond to insulin properly. Type-2 diabetes mostly affects middle-aged and old-aged people.

Pre-diabetes: The initial stage of type-2 diabetes is considered pre-diabetes.

Gestational diabetes: This types of diabetes mostly occurs in pregnant women and generally goes away after pregnancy. However, it increases the chances of type-2 diabetes in the near future

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES?

The following are a few common symptoms and signs of diabetes: 

• Frequent urination 
• Excessive thirst and hunger 
• Fluctuations in weight 
• Blurred vision
• Unusual exhaustion
• Dry skin
• Delayed healing of wounds 

WHAT IS THE PREVENTION FOR DIABETES?

Here are a few dos and don’ts for diabetic patients:

• Eat healthy fiber-rich food.
• Increase physical activity.
• Do not skip your meals.
• Eat in regular intervals, once every two hours.
• Lose your weight if you are obese or overweight (Ignore if you are pregnant).
• Avoid eating saturated fat and sugar.
• Quit smoking and consumption of tobacco products.
• Avoid drinking alcohol.