Recognising & Testing for Diabetes

Diabetes is a very serious medical condition. It occurs when your body does not produce and use enough insulin (which controls glucose levels). Diabetes can be categorised as either Type 1 or Type 2 and is a condition which is on the rise. You therefore need to know what to look out for.

If you have diabetes you may not notice any symptoms but there are two main signals; hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar/glucose) and hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar). If you are hypoglycaemic then your insulin has lowered your glucose levels too much and this may lead to dizziness, shaking, hunger pangs and sweating. On the other hand if you are hyperglycaemic this can result in weight loss, nausea, dizziness and/or light headedness.

Some more extreme symptoms you may notice as a diabetic are peripheral neuropathy (the loss of nerve functions in the arms and/or legs) and diabetic retinopathy (when the blood vessels of the eyes change, limiting or even eliminating vision). If you notice any of these extreme symptoms you should seek emergency medical care immediately. This will reduce the chances of permanent damage to your body.

If you notice any of the above symptoms you should consult your doctor immediately. They will discusss your family's medical history, any history of diabetes in the family, any medication you are taking and any medication you are allergic to. Your doctor is then likely to recommend one of the following tests to you:

FINGER STICK TEST:- This involves pricking your finger to draw a single drop of blood, placing this drop on a disposable test strip and then analysing the concentration of glucose in your blood using a small glucose meter machine. This test is the easiest but has approximately 10% of the accuracy of a laboratory test.

FAST PLASMA GLUCOSE TEST:- You cannot eat for 8 hours before this test. It involves having blood drawn and tested before you arrive. Once tested your blood reading should not be above 126 mg/dl. Otherwise, you could be diabetic and will need to confirm through either a Glucose Tolerance Test or Glycosylated Haemoglobin Test.

If the tests conclude that you have diabetes then don't be alarmed. In most cases diabetes can be managed effectively with a proper diet and natural remedies. Even if you don't notice any symptoms it is still a good idea to see your doctor and get yourself tested. It's the only way to identify the problem and if neccessary start taking preventatory measures.

Author: Tom Parker

You can find more great information on Diabetes and how to treat it by heading over to http://blog.freefitnesstips.co.uk/

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