Type 2 diabetes: Reading the grave warning sign of blood sugar damage visible on your toes

Diabetes is a condition that is related to the problem of the body's inability to respond well to insulin. What is Insulin? This is a hormone produced in the pancreas by special cells, called beta cells. The pancreas is a gland that is located below and behind the stomach. Insulin is secreted by the pancreas into the bloodstream and is needed to move blood sugar (glucose) into cells for storage and future use.

When you have type 2 diabetes, your fat, liver, and muscle cells do not respond correctly to insulin - a hormone produced in the pancreas to help move blood sugar (glucose) into cells - where it is stored and later used for energy.

This unsatisfactory response to insulin is called insulin resistance. As a result, blood sugar does not get into these cells to be stored for energy and instead builds up in the blood - causing a dangerous health condition called hyperglycemia. 

The body is unable to use glucose for energy. This leads to the symptoms of type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is not some condition that the body acquires overnight. It usually develops slowly over time. Since increased fat makes it harder for the body to use insulin the correct way, most people have their condition of obesity or excess weight issues to blame for the onset of the disease.

But that does not mean non-obese or normal-weight people do not get diabetes. But these are mostly people of older ages. Other factors that can cause Type 2 Diabetes are family history and genes, and lifestyle factors like low activity level, poor diet, and excess body weight around the waist.

People with diabetes are more likely than those without diabetes to have foot problems because this condition damages the nerves. Nerves play a big role in carrying the sensation of touch, pressure, pain, heat, or cold to the extremities of the body - including the feet. This nerve damage is called Diabetic Neuropathy. 

Due to this nerve damage, a lot of times, people suffering from diabetes are unable to notice a foot injury until they have severe damage to the skin and tissue below, or until they suffer a case of severe infection.

Change in the shape of toes is a warning sign:
Diabetes type 2 can often slip under the radar until high blood sugar levels start wreaking havoc on the body. The change in the shape of your toes can be one signal you can catch - a sign that diabetes has caused nerve damage, says a report . 

It cites a warning by Doctor Prash Vas, Consultant in Diabetes and Diabetes Food Medicine at London Bridge Hospital who says that diabetic neuropathy most often damages nerves in your legs and feet; a telltale sign of which can be observed on your toes. Clawing of toes can signal advanced nerve damage, warned Doctor Prash.

A Claw toe is a condition characterised by the toes bending into a shape similar to a claw. High blood sugar can also cause other damages to your feet. Diabetes can cause the wasting of the small muscles in the feet, build-up of skin over pressure points of the sole, and some individuals may experience balance issues, says the report.

Prone to injuries that go unnoticed until too late:
It does not just steal one's capacity to sense, Diabetes can also damage blood vessels. With hampered blood circulation - the farthest part of the foot is rendered most vulnerable. Due to diabetes that lowers immunity and healing power, even small sores or breaks in the skin may become deeper skin sores (ulcers). 

Diabetics have to be very conscious of the state of their foot as many a time, the affected limb may need to be amputated if these skin ulcers do not heal or become larger, deeper, or infected.

Diabetic persons' foot care regime:

1. Make it a bath-time routine every day. Check your feet for any nerve or blood vessel damage
2. All minor infections must be treated immediately
3. Avoid cracks from dryness of skins, use prescribed moisturisers on feet
4. Your footwear should be suitable for your condition, seek the doctor's advice
5. Quit smoking if you already haven't
6. Keep your blood sugar under acceptable limits
7. Acquire an appointment with the doctor at least twice a year to learn if you have nerve damage
8. The doctor can also check if your feet have calluses, bunions or hammertoes and you must get them treated immediately if found
    

Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purpose only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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HIV patients face premature heart ailment and barriers to care

A new study has claimed that people living with HIV are at a higher risk of heart and blood vessel ailments compared to people without HIV.

According to the study,' the risk arises due to interactions between traditional risk factors, such as diet, lifestyle and tobacco use, and HIV-specific risk factors, such as a chronically activated immune system and inflammation characteristic of chronic HIV.
 

Tobacco use, a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, is common among people living with HIV. In a nationally representative U.S. sample, 42 per cent of people living with HIV were current smokers.

Heavy alcohol use, substance abuse, mood and anxiety disorders, low levels of physical activity and poor cardio-respiratory fitness are also common among people living with HIV and may contribute to elevated risk for diseases of the heart and blood vessels, according to the study.

"Considerable gaps exist in our knowledge about HIV-associated diseases of the heart and blood vessels, in part because HIV's transition from a fatal disease to a chronic condition is relatively recent, so long-term data on heart disease risks are limited," said a researcher.

In addition, people living with HIV are often stigmatised and face significant barriers to optimal health care, such as education level, where they live, healthcare literacy, disenfranchisement from the healthcare system, cognitive impairment, injection drug use, internalised and anticipated stigma, gait and mobility impairment, frailty, depression and social isolation. There are also disparities in care based on age, race, ethnicity, and gender.

Another area of concern is the ageing population of people living with HIV - 75 per cent of people living with HIV are over age 45. "Aging with HIV differs greatly from the ageing issues facing the general population," said a Dr., in an accompanying patient perspective.

"On average, people living with HIV who are over 60 years old have 3-7 medical conditions, including heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, kidney disease, frailty and bone diseases and many take 12-15 medications daily," said the Dr.

Providing scientifically based recommendations on how to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease among people living with HIV is also challenging.

To assess a person living with HIV's cardiovascular risk, the study advised a nuanced approach. This approach includes quantifying traditional risk factor burden using tools such as American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Atherosclerotic Disease Risk Calculator, which estimates a person's ten-year risk of having a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular condition, as a starting point.

However, the authors caution that people living with HIV may have a higher risk than indicated by the calculator.

To keep people living with HIV healthy, the Dr. emphasised the importance of a healthy lifestyle that includes smoking cessation, adequate physical activity, eliminating or reducing the amount of alcohol consumed and a healthy diet.

In addition, medications such as statin drugs, which lower cholesterol, and other medications that make blood less likely to form clots may be helpful, although more clinical trial data are needed.

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Nuts can keep diabetics' heart healthy

Eating a handful of nuts daily, particularly tree nuts, may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease among people with Type-2 diabetes, associated with an increased risk for high cholesterol, heart disease and stroke, say researchers, including one of Indian origin.
Tree nuts such as walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, pistachios, pecans, macadamias, hazelnuts and pine nuts were strongly associated with reduced risk of coronary events, cardiac death and total mortality compared with peanuts.
The results showed that eating even a small amount of nuts had an effect. 
While the exact biological mechanisms of nuts on heart health are unclear, researchers noted that nuts appear to improve blood sugar control, blood pressure, metabolism of fats, inflammation and blood vessel wall function. 
"Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and a major cause of heart attacks, strokes and disability for people living with Type-2 diabetes," said a Prof.

"Efforts to understand the link between the two conditions are important to prevent cardiovascular complications of Type-2 diabetes and help people make informed choices about their health," the Prof. added.
In this study, the team used data from 16,217 men and women before and after they were diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes. 
People who increased their intake of nuts after being diagnosed with diabetes had an 11 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease, a 15 per cent lower risk of coronary heart disease, a 25 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease death, and a 27 per cent lower risk of all-cause premature death.
Each additional serving per week of total nuts was associated with a three per cent lower risk of heart disease and six per cent lower risk of heart disease death.
Adding more nuts to one's diets proved beneficial probably at any age or stage. 
"It seems never too late to improve diet and lifestyle after diagnosis among individuals with Type-2 diabetes," the researchers said.

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New technique to measure blood clot developed

Scientists have developed a new technique that allows them to measure blood clotting as well as the formation of free radicals, that leads to the build-up of blood clots, which in turn cause heart disease, stroke and dementia. The technique, investigates a part of the blood clotting process which focuses on the ways in which platelets from blood samples clump together.

"This method may be useful for future studies looking into new anti-platelet treatments for diseases such as diabetes, where clotting is disturbed and increases the risk of heart attack or stroke," according to the study.

The researchers discovered that the enzyme NADPH Oxidase is critically important for the generation of free radicals, the stimulation of blood clotting and the promotion of blood vessel damage in patients.

They successfully used the technique in mice and human cells. Their aim is to better understand how blood cells function, which will help to develop new drugs against blood clotting diseases or to test the risk of clotting diseases in patients.

"We're really excited to discover this new technique and its potential to understand how blood vessel diseases develop. For the first time, we can now simultaneously measure blood clotting and the formation of free radicals," said lead author. 

"We know they play a key role in blood vessel damage caused by ageing, diabetes, obesity and chronic inflammation. We're currently using this technique in our efforts to develop a new treatment to protect the blood vessels in diseases such as heart diseases, stroke, obesity, and vascular dementia," he added.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                         FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/           

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