Getting Acquainted with Diabetes

Why is it Important to Control Diabetes As Soon As it is Detected? : -

As soon as your diabetes is detected it is important that you immediately begin a program to control the disease. The aim of your treatment plan will be to restore the balance of sugar and insulin in your body and to prevent and relieve symptoms. You can do this through diet, exercise, and blood sugar-reducing medications and, most important, by understanding the disease, its complications, and its treatment.

A properly treated person with diabetes can be free of symptoms and feel well. with out adequate medical treatment, however, symptoms may appear or increase in severity. For example., in many people with diabetes complications occur in blood vessels. Because diabetics are more prone to problems with blood vessels, such conditions appear earlier and advance more rapidly than in nondiabetics. And since both the large and small blood vessels can be involved, complications, such as hypertension and atherosclerosis, often are the principal problems in the care of diabetics. While the mechanism of diabetic disease of the blood vessels is not clearly identified, it is also known that vascular disease (disease of the blood vessels) may not be as prevalent or proceeds more slowly in those with well-controlled diabetes than in those in whom the disease is poorly controlled.
Vascular disease causes other complications of the circulatory system, including heart attacks. Diabetic women, especially after menopause, have more heart disease than women who do not have diabetes. Also, because of changes in the arteries due to diabetes, some diabetics have peripheral circulatory disturbances, especially in their legs.
Diabetics have more kidney disease than nondiabetics. This occurs because blood vessels serving the kidneys often are affected, and recurrent infections of the urinary tract can be more common.
Vascular changes also can affect the eyes where blood vessels are very tiny and fragile. The fact that diabetes is the leading cause of blindness emphasizes the need for preserving this important faculty.
Neuropathy (damage to the neural pathways) may be another long-term complication of diabetes. The most common form affects the legs and may cause numbness, tingling, and sometimes severe pain. Other nerve pathways can be affected as well. Diabetics' feet are vulerable to any kind of injury, and foot care also affected by diabetes, as is the gastrointestinal tract. To prevent these and other complications it is essential that you begin a treatment plan as soon as possible after your diabetes is diagnosed. An important part of your treatment will be your diet.