Diabetes is a serious disease that can affect both adults and children. It causes a violation of the functions of the pancreas, resulting in an increased content of sugar in the blood. This leads to serious complications, many of which are incompatible with life.
Diabetes: Definition
First let's understand some terms. What is diabetes? This is a disease that is accompanied by a violation of water-s alt and mineral metabolism, metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in the body. Such an imbalance occurs due to malfunctions of the pancreas, which for some reason ceases to fully produce the hormone insulin. This hormone is responsible for the level of glucose in human blood. Diabetes is a hereditary or acquired disease. Has a chronic character. It is impossible to cure it completely, doctors try to stop the disease as much as possible and minimize possible complications.
How dangerous is diabetes?
In a person with diabetes, the glucose content inincreased blood levels and decreased insulin levels. In advanced cases, sugar is also determined in the urine. As a result, purulent wounds, atherosclerosis, hypertension can occur, the kidneys, the central nervous system are affected, vision is reduced. As you can see, diabetes is a dangerous disease. Therefore, it should not be left to chance.
Causes of illness
Doctors identify such risk factors for diabetes:
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Stress.
- Depression.
- Overweight.
- Lack of sleep.
- Wrong diet.
- Abuse of sugary drinks.
- Hypertension.
- Heredity.
- Race.
All these risk factors for diabetes can lead to a worsening of the patient's condition. Therefore, it is important to observe the daily routine, eat right, avoid stress, and engage in physiotherapy exercises. It is important to remember that diabetes is not a death sentence. Prompt treatment can help.
What doctors advise
Patients are naturally interested in: "What to do with diabetes?" To answer this question, you need to delve a little into the topic.
Distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In the first type, a person becomes completely insulin dependent, and in the second, not. Treatment for type 2 diabetes consists of a low-carbohydrate diet, exercise therapy, and insulin sensitivity pills. In some cases, direct injectionsinsulin itself.
What to watch out for
Doctors warn that it is necessary to try to prevent complications of type 2 diabetes. This disease can cause the development of such ailments as hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, polyneuropathy, ophthalmopathy, arthropathy, among which diabetic angiopathy should be noted separately. That's the danger of diabetes! It is numerous comorbidities that can lead to aggravation of the patient's condition. Complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus are not a sentence in case of timely diagnosis and treatment.
Diabetic angiopathy is a dangerous disease that occurs as a complication in people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. If a person has been ill for more than 5 years, then, most likely, diabetic angiopathy has already begun to develop. Therefore, you need to think about treatment, and not about its prevention.
This complication manifests itself in a gradual violation of the patency of arterial vessels. Based on the location of the affected vessel, we can talk about malfunctions in the following organs:
- kidneys;
- heart;
- eyes;
- brain.
Causes of diabetic angiopathy
The main cause of this disease is the destructive effect of high sugar levels, which destroys the walls of capillaries, veins, arteries. The walls can become deformed, thinner or thicker, which interferes with normal metabolism and blood flow in general. Similardestruction leads to hypoxia (lack of oxygen in the body) of tissues and damage to the internal organs of the patient.
Types and symptoms of diabetic angiopathy
In medicine, there are 2 types of this disease:
- macroangiopathy - a disease in which the arteries and veins are affected;
- microangiopathy is a disease in which the capillaries are affected.
There is an opinion that the use of insulin protects against the occurrence of angiopathy, which in 80% of cases lead to death or disability of the patient. But it's not.
Symptoms of vascular damage by macro- and microangiopathy are different and have several stages of development.
Stages of development of macroangiopathy:
- 1 stage - the patient begins to quickly get tired, experience stiffness in movements, toes may go numb, and nails - thicken. Feet are sweaty and cold all the time. Intermittent claudication may develop (intervals can be up to 1 km).
- 2a stage - the patient complains of numbness of the feet, and the legs begin to freeze even in summer. The skin of the extremities is pale, and intermittent claudication begins to occur at shorter intervals - 200-500 m.
- 2b stage - symptoms remain the same, but intermittent claudication begins to occur at shorter intervals - 50-200 m.
- 3a stage - symptoms begin to worsen, pain in the legs is added, which is very disturbing at night. The skin becomes pale, and the toes begin to become bluish in color if you stand or sit for a very long time. The skin startspeel off and dry out, intermittent claudication begins to occur at a distance of 50 m.
- 3b stage - the pain syndrome begins to be permanent, and the lower limbs swell greatly. There is a huge likelihood of ulcers, which can turn into tissue necrosis.
- 4 stage - necrosis of the fingers or feet, which is accompanied by weakness, high temperature (an infectious focus occurs in the body).
The development of microangiopathy is characterized by 6 degrees:
- 0 degree - there are no complaints from the patient. Only a doctor can detect the disease.
- 1 degree - the patient complains of pallor of the skin of the legs and a feeling of cold. You may experience small ulcers that are not accompanied by pain or fever.
- 2 degree - ulcers begin to affect the bones, muscles; severe pain syndrome.
- 3 degree - the edges and bottom of the ulcers are black, indicating necrosis. The areas affected by the ulcer begin to swell and redden. There is a high probability of developing inflammation of the bone marrow and tissue (osteomyelitis), abscesses and purulent skin diseases (phlegmon).
- 4 degree - necrosis of the fingers or other parts of the foot.
- 5 degree - necrosis extends to the entire foot, leading to immediate amputation of the limb.
Diagnosis and treatment of diabetic angiopathy
The symptoms and complaints of the patient are not sufficient grounds for a preliminary diagnosis. Therefore, the doctor writes out an appointment for the following diagnostic measures:
- Tests to determine the level of sugar in the blood and urine.
- Angiography is an X-ray method for examining the state of blood vessels using contrast agents.
- Doppler scanning - ultrasound of the vessels using a Doppler transducer that shows blood flow through the vessels.
- Determination of pulsation on vessels.
- Video capillaroscopy.
Timely diagnosis and subsequent treatment can prevent the development of gangrene and limb amputation. Diabetic angiopathy develops over several years. In case of non-compliance with all the prescriptions of the attending physician, there is a huge likelihood of disability and even death.
Now there are several developed methods for the treatment of this disease. Standard treatment includes prescription of statins and antioxidants. For example, "Simvastatin" or "Atorvastatin" and vitamin E. It is also important to restore the correct metabolism in tissues. For this, the doctor may prescribe "Mildronate", "Thiotriazolin" or "Trimetazidine". Important is the appointment of biogenic stimulants (FiBS, aloe) and angioprotectors ("Parmidin", "Dicinon" or "Anginin"). Your doctor may prescribe Heparin, Clopidogrel, or Cardiomagnyl, which thin the blood and prevent blood clots and plaques.
If the diagnosis was carried out on time, and the diseasewas detected in the early stages, then patients are prescribed physiotherapy exercises (Burger's exercises and short walking).
