The Persistent Problem of being a Diabetic

Let’s take a second out of the rush and ponder upon this plague named Diabetes. Did you know India holds the second largest number of diabetic cases (73 million in 2017)? A half of our people are currently living with diabetes ignorant and undiagnosed.

This creates an urgency to increase awareness and consequences of diabetes and especially why diabetic foot treatment must be taken seriously among all ages and lifestyles since foot related problems are often disregarded. When not appropriately managed, this health condition can result in problems affecting many parts of the body sickening and weakening you to an early death.

Diabetes and the diseases it creates

Diabetes has been directly linked to a number of consequential health conditions that can ultimately kill you. For example,

Cardiovascular Disease:

It is one of the predominant causes of cardiovascular disease, with one out of four diabetic patients having to face cardiovascular complications.

Loss of Vision:

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of vision loss in active middle-aged adults. The prevalence of an end-stage renal disease is up to ten times higher in people with diabetes.

Juvenile Diabetes:

Children are not exempt from this disease and the frequency of diabetes is rising even among the kids. Over time, diabetes can damage the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves – causing chronic problems and early death.

Gestational Diabetes: 

Pregnant women with diabetes are at an increased risk of maternal and foetal complications.

Foot amputation:

Losing a limb is one of the most feared complications of diabetic foot ulcer and a major medical problem worldwide. Medication on its own will help, but a progression of the disease will go on if you neglect to pursue a balanced lifestyle and then complications are bound to arise. The question now is what exactly do you tell a diabetic patient to do and how should one go about making them realize how essential lifestyle modifications are to their health? For healthcare professionals, it is now vital for them to emphasize carbohydrate control and restricting sodium intake. One of the key findings of the Diabetic research was that diabetic pedicures and wellness services considerably brought down the chances of foot ulcers. It is essential that healthcare professionals suggest special diabetic custom insoles and diabetic neuropathy tests to individual patients based on their current diabetic profile–taking into account their social, economic and cultural background.

A huge focus must also be on physical activity and staying active. For many patients with diabetes, exercising regularly is not something they are accustomed to often because of loss of sensation in the feet or diabetic neuropathy. However, this is something that must change in order to see any kind of improvement to their current state. Diabetic Patients should be made more aware of why physical activity (from something as simple as just walking 30 minutes a day) is so important. With proper Diabetic footcare, they need not fear wounds or blisters on their feet.

Healthcare professionals such as Linda Delahanti say it is essential to give a clear-cut message to individuals who have diabetes. It is important that they realize only they are in control of their health and not just through the medications they take, but there need to be other aspects such as diabetic foot care and choosing the right diabetic footwear too. Diabetes-related health outcomes will be substantially improved if a patient’s health and well being is their biggest priority.