Living with diabetes means that you must educate yourself about all possible complications and take steps to avoid them. Therefore, once you are diagnosed, controlling the disease is very important. New research conducted in the United States reports that thanks to diabetes control, the incidence of heart attacks, strokes, and amputations has decreased since 1990 in this country.
If you have diabetes, whether type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes, I am sure you have heard a thousand times that the most important thing is to keep your blood glucose levels within healthy ranges to avoid or delay the complications of diabetes in various organs of your body. Since eyesight, nerves, kidneys, and the cardiovascular system, for example, could be seriously compromised if diabetes is not kept under control.
Everything seems to indicate that raising awareness about controlling diabetes through diet, exercise, medications and regular visits to the doctor have worked. At least this is what research by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows, which indicates that, over the last twenty years, the incidence of diabetes complications has decreased significantly in this country.
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, specifically reports that the incidence of death due to hyperglycemic crisis and acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) has decreased by two thirds. Likewise, the study indicates that the rates of stroke and amputations have decreased by half and the incidence rate of serious renal (kidney) complications has decreased by 30 percent.
Although the authors of the study are optimistic because this risk reduction has occurred mainly in people with diabetes compared to the rest of the population, they still have their reservations.
According to them, people who suffer from diabetes still have a much higher risk of dying from different causes. For example, they are 80 percent more likely to die from a heart attack, 50 percent more likely to suffer a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), 10 times more likely to require an amputation, and 6 times more likely to suffer kidney complications.
For this reason, specialists emphasize that in addition to controlling the disease, something that should never be lost sight of is prevention. They warn that eliminating the risk of developing diabetes should be the main objective.
However, they emphasize that glucose control significantly reduces the risk of micro-vascular complications in people with type 1 diabetes and draw attention to studies that have shown that control of blood pressure, glucose and levels of lipids (fats) significantly reduce the risks for patients with type 2 diabetes.
This research reminds us that by better controlling diabetes, fewer complications occur. Therefore, do not forget that you must stay well informed about diabetes, take the disease seriously and take responsibility for keeping it under control; know the different tests and terminology related to medical tests that you should have regularly (for example, the A1C test used to measure your average blood sugar over the last three months); choose a medical team that supports you and in which you trust; eat a healthy diet, stay active and follow the instructions carefully on the medications you should take. You can live a long and happy life with diabetes.
PRONAPRESA
"Because prevention is better than cure"
