Diabetes, also known as Diabetes mellitus, in medical parlance, falls under a group of metabolic diseases, where a patient has high blood sugar (glucose). This is a serious global disease that has gripped people of various age groups across multiple nationalities.
Diabetes typically occurs due to:
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has identified the below set of people to be susceptible to diabetes:
Some common symptoms that diabetic patients experience include:
More often than not, the diagnosis of diabetes includes carrying out a urine test. This test reveals whether there is excess glucose present in the body. This is typically followed up with a blood test to calculate the blood sugar levels. Since a patient cannot feel whether the blood sugar is high or low, this testing needs to be conducted at regular intervals, sometimes even several times in the day, to keep a check on the sugar levels.
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FPG stands for ”Fasting Plasma Glucose”. This is the blood sugar level when you have been fasting for at least 8 hours. This is usually checked a couple of hours after one wakes up in the morning and primarily helps in the diagnosis of diabetes and pre-diabetes. While you are not permitted to consume anything for 8 to 10 hours before taking the test, you can consume water at regular intervals.
The FPG results typically fall under the below readings:
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PPG stands for ”Postprandial Plasma Glucose”. This is the after-meals blood sugar level that is usually checked one to two hours post eating. This testing is generally done to check the spike in the blood sugar level post eating and is usually done to check how tolerant the body is to glucose.
The PPG results typically fall under the below readings:
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Another important number that the ADA prescribes is the A1C number, which is also popularly known as Glycated Hemoglobin, Glycosylated Hemoglobin, Hemoglobin A1C, and HbA1c.
This is a very important number that basically describes how well your blood sugar has been controlled over the past 2 to 3 months. It also tells your diabetes control team how effectively your overall diabetes control plan is working. In a nutshell, your A1C Control = FPG Control + PPG Control.
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The A1C test measures what percentage of your haemoglobin is coated with sugar (glycated). Haemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. The higher the A1C level, the poorer is your blood sugar control and the higher is the risk of developing diabetes-related complications. The A1C test plays a vital role in predicting prediabetes, type 1 diabetes, and type 2 diabetes.
Also Read: Turbinado Sugar: Understanding Its Health Impact and Uses
Good control over the A1C helps to safeguard the body from numerous diabetes-related risks such as:
These are microvascular complications that primarily cause damage to small blood vessels.
Along with these, there are some macrovascular problems too that damage the large blood vessels. These include:
This type of diabetes typically occurs during childhood or during the adolescence stages. This diabetes type requires regular insulin treatment, generally for life, to keep the blood sugar levels in control.
This is the most common and prevalent kind of diabetes. It usually develops in adulthood and is mostly observed in people who are largely inactive or overweight. Read more about the symptoms of type 2 diabetes.
| Type 1 Diabetes | Type 2 Diabetes |
| In this type of diabetes, your body attacks the cells in your pancreas which means it cannot make any insulin. | In type 2 diabetes, your body is unable to make enough insulin or the insulin you do make doesn’t work properly. |
| The symptoms of type 1 appear more quickly. | Type 2 symptoms can be easier to miss because they appear more slowly. |
| Type 1 is managed by taking insulin to control your blood sugar. | You can manage type 2 diabetes in more ways than type 1. These include medication, exercise and diet. People with type 2 can also be prescribed insulin. |
| Currently, there is no cure for type 1 but research continues. | Type 2 cannot be cured but there is evidence to say in many cases it can be prevented. |
Administration of oral drugs is given when lifestyle modifications have been unsuccessful in bringing down the blood sugar levels. These oral doses work well to treat Type 2 diabetes, but Type 1 patients have to resort to insulin injections or insulin pumps.
Read More About: Difference Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
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We often forget that we are an indispensable aspect of treating our diabetes. Self-testing your blood sugar and HBA1C is extremely important in managing your diabetes and preventing long-term complications. A portable electronic device called the glucose meter is used to measure blood glucose levels. Testing should be done as advised by your doctor, but one should generally test twice a month at least. The frequency of testing your blood sugars also depends on the type of diabetes.
