Another World Diabetes day has come and gone. It was a day of free blood sugar testing,free or subsidised testing for complications of Diabetes,Run for Diabetes,Seminars and Awareness classes etc etc.
In my own way I was also giving free consultation to Diabetes patients.When the testing and consultation are free there will be a rush of patients and I had the same experience.So it was an exhausting day.
Not all who had come were very poor. Many test their blood sugars only occasionally even though they could very well afford it. Many have never tested their Cholesterol,eyes or Kidney functions. Lack of knowledge about Diabetes and its complications were evident in most of the patients. The theme of World Diabetes day UNDERSTAND DIABETES; TAKE CONTROL is so relevant for this group of patients who came rushing to my Hospital for free testing and consultation.
To know more about World Diabetes Day click here
In my own way I was also giving free consultation to Diabetes patients.When the testing and consultation are free there will be a rush of patients and I had the same experience.So it was an exhausting day.
Not all who had come were very poor. Many test their blood sugars only occasionally even though they could very well afford it. Many have never tested their Cholesterol,eyes or Kidney functions. Lack of knowledge about Diabetes and its complications were evident in most of the patients. The theme of World Diabetes day UNDERSTAND DIABETES; TAKE CONTROL is so relevant for this group of patients who came rushing to my Hospital for free testing and consultation.
To know more about World Diabetes Day click here
What Diabetic patients should know
Targets for Diabetics
Fasting Blood Sugar 70-120mg/dl
Post meal[after 90 mts] less than 180mg/dl
HbA1c less than 7 percent
Blood Pressure less than 130/80
HDL Cholesterol more than 40 mg/dl
LDL Cholesterol less than 100mg/dl
Triglycerides less than 150mg/dl
Fasting Blood Sugar 70-120mg/dl
Post meal[after 90 mts] less than 180mg/dl
HbA1c less than 7 percent
Blood Pressure less than 130/80
HDL Cholesterol more than 40 mg/dl
LDL Cholesterol less than 100mg/dl
Triglycerides less than 150mg/dl
What and When to test
1.Test Blood sugar as frequently as possible. At least twice or thrice a month if well controlled.Test HbA1c every 6 months
2.Check Blood Pressure every 3 to 6 months. More frequently if high or low.
3.Lipid Profile [cholesterol test] at least every 6 months if found high once.Otherwise once a year.
4. Cardiac check up [ECG and Tread Mill test and if needed Angiography] once on diagnosis and then every 2-4 years if first examination was normal and there are no symptoms. More frequently if first tests are abnormal or if there are cardiac symptoms.
5.Kidney tests like Urine micro albumin and Serum creatinine every year.
6. Eye check up including retina examination after putting an eye drop to dilate the pupil on diagnosis of Diabetes and then once every 1-2 years.
7. Neuropathy testing on diagnosis and every 2 years if there are no symptoms.
5 comments:
I loved your post. It is so important to learn about diabetes. I lost my Grandpa to diabetes a few years ago.
Since this blog is about Diabetes. I wanted to share an article about Green tea. It is related to my grandpa.
http://bit.ly/11CUAs
welcome Phoenix rox. Sorry to hear abt your Grandpa.
thanks. useful piece.
Dear Dr:
One of the ways many a diabetic dies is through a 'silent heart attack' (as nerve endings are typically weakly sensitive). Recently, Dr. Vishnuvardhan a popular cinestar of Kannada movie world died of very early morning heart attack. He was a diabetic too. Was this sort of death a typical diabetic syndrome death? Are there ways of predicting 'silent heart attacks'?
Sunil, welcome to this blog.
Chances of getting a heart attack is around 2 to 3 times more in a Diabetic compared to a non diabetic. Many not all Heart attacks in Diabetics can be silent attack without much pain. To prevent such heart attacks a diabetic should attain ideal blood pressure and cholestrol goals along with blodd sugar goals as I posted above.ECG, Stress tests Angio etc will help in predicting heart attacks.
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