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How Diabetes takes a toll on your Vision (Diabetic Retinopathy)

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Diabetes is a chronic condition in which your body develops an insulin resistance and fails to metabolize the glucose in your blood stream. This increased level of blood sugar is actually very harmful for the human body because it leads to other associated complications that can affect major organ functions. It can even lead to organ damage and eventual organ failure, which in some cases can even result in death. How Diabetes affects your vision? Prolonged high blood sugar has had an increasingly negative effect on eye health, resulting in Diabetic Eye Diseases. It’s a group of eye conditions that include Diabetic Retinopathy , Diabetic Macular Edema, Cataract and Glaucoma. What is Diabetic Retinopathy? This condition happens when the high blood sugar present in a person’s body for a long time causes damage to the retina. The retina is a layer at the back of the eyeball that contains sensory cells responsible for receiving light and then triggering nerve impulses and p...
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How Your Diabetes May Affect Your Children?

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Diabetes and inheritance: this must be regarded as the million-dollar question on everyone’s mind. And, rightly so because once you or anyone in your family has diabetes, there are a series of doubts that follow. Why me? How did this happen to me? Is it my daily habits that led to this? Most often than not, diabetes symptoms are difficult to recognize unless they become quite severe. In this case, a diabetes specialist provides the much needed aid and treatment required to control the disease. The treatment for diabetes varies according to age, complexity and type of diabetes. The types of diabetes include type1 diabetes, type2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes, which can be due to both genetics and environmental factors. How do genes affect diabetes? Although research has shown that genetics affect the onset of diabetes in a major way, but they alone are not what triggers it. But, if you have diabetes, chances are that your children may too. Some children are born ...
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Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
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TYPE 2 DIABETES: SYMPTOMS AND WAYS TO MANAGE IT

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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of people with diabetes has risen from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2016. The WHO estimates that 90 percent of people around the world who suffer from diabetes have Type 2 diabetes. What is Type 2 diabetes? The pancreas produces a hormone called insulin which helps your cells convert glucose (from the food you eat) into energy. People with Type 2 diabetes are able to produce insulin, but their cells are unable to use it effectively. This is called insulin resistance. The cells become resistant to the action of insulin. Initially the pancreas makes the extra insulin but over time it can’t make sufficient insulin to overcome this resistance. Instead of helping the cells to use sugar for energy, the sugar level builds up in the bloodstream. Symptoms of Type 2 diabetes: • Increased thirst • Frequent or increased urination, especially at night • Excessive hunger • Fatigue • Blurry vision • Non-healing sores ...
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Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India
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DIABETES & NEPHROPATHY (KIDNEY DISEASE)

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Diabetic nephropathy is damage to your kidneys caused by diabetes. Kidneys are made up of tiny filtering units called nephrons. Nephrons filter waste from the blood and maintain the salt-water balance. High blood sugar level can damage the nephrons and cause the kidneys to leak essential proteins (albumin) into the urine. Eventually the kidneys can stop working completely resulting in a condition called renal failure. For people with this condition, dialysis or renal transplant can be the only treatment options. About 30 percent of patients with Type 1 (juvenile onset) diabetes and 10 to 40 percent of those with Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes eventually suffer from kidney failure. Factors that can increase the risk of diabetic nephropathy include: • Uncontrolled blood sugar level • High blood pressure • High cholesterol (bad cholesterol) • Smoking • Family History Identifying kidney damage in its early stages is crucial. This is possible by performing the following tests: ...
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Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India
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SMOKING & DIABETES

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Smoking can be one of the hardest addictions to overcome. Smoking is not only an expensive habit but also is the leading cause of chronic lung disease, cancer, stroke, heart disease and preventable death. Kicking the habit is also important if you are diabetic or want to prevent diabetes. Recent studies shows that smokers are three times more at risk of diabetes than non-smokers.  Diabetes is an abnormal condition of pancreas, an organ located behind the stomach. The pancreas secretes a hormone called insulin which helps the body use sugar from food for energy. In a person with  diabetes , the pancreas either does not produce insulin, produces insufficient amount of insulin or the insulin does not work in the right manner leading to abnormally higher concentration of sugar in blood.  Diabetes is a chronic disease and if not managed properly can lead to long-term complications such as heart disease, kidney disease (nephropathy), nerve disease (neuropathy), eye dise...
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Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India
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DIABETES & EYE CARE: YOUR SIGHT MATTERS

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Diabetes  is the leading cause of blindness in adults aged 20 to 74. Uncontrolled diabetes can also lead to three serious eye problems: cataract, glaucoma, and retinopathy. High blood sugar level increases the risk of eye damage and may lead to blurry vision. Therefore, People with diabetes should get regular eye check-ups (once a year) to avoid any serious irreversible eye problem. What is Diabetic Retinopathy? Diabetic retinopathy  is a complication resulting from diabetes that affects the retina, the light-sensitive layer in the back of the eye. Images are first formed on the retina and is then transmitted to the brain to be processed: This is how we see. High blood sugar level can, over time, damage the tiny blood vessels in the retina and lead to permanent loss of vision. What are the Symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy? Most people do not experience any noticeable signs in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy. As the condition worsens, people may experienc...
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