DIABETES
TREATMENTS |
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Diabetes cannot be cured. However, with the correct treatment and
management, most people with diabetes can lead normal lives.
Depending on individual circumstances, diabetes may be treated with
insulin injections, diet and exercise, medication and regular blood
glucose monitoring.
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Insulin injections.
Type 1 diabetes must be treated with insulin injections.
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Medication.
Treatment for type 2 diabetes usually starts with weight
reduction and exercise. However, medication may also be
necessary. The two main types of medication are:
1. Tablets that stimulate insulin secretion (the sulphonylurea
type of drugs);
2. Tablets that improve insulin resistance (biguanides and the
thiazolidinediones).
Sometimes drugs that inhibit carbohydrate or fat absorption are
also used. Some people with type 2 diabetes will eventually need
insulin to control their blood sugar.
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Blood glucose
monitoring.
Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes need to be managed by regular
blood glucose monitoring. This can be done by a simple finger
prick blood test, which, following instruction from a GP or
staff in the hospital's Diabetic Day Centre, the person with
diabetes can carry out themselves using a simple spring loaded
device. Results are obtained within a few seconds.
The diabetes care team will advise on when blood sugar should be
tested and what adjustments should be made for optimum
management of diabetes if the blood sugars are too low (hypoglycaemia)
or too high (hyperglycaemia). Good blood sugar control will help
ensure a healthy and complication-free life.
The person with diabetes should remember that he or she is the
most important partner in the diabetes team. It is up to them to
agree targets for blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol
and it is their responsibility to meet these targets.
Fasting and pre-meal blood sugar levels should be between 4 and
9mmol/l. Levels below 3mmol/l will result in hypoglycaemia. The
warning signs of hypoglycaemia include sweating, trembling,
confusion and eventually loss of consciousness. Emergency
treatment is sugar and a person with type 1 diabetes should
carry sugar/ a sweet with them at all times.
Persistent high blood sugar - fasting and pre-meal levels that
are consistently higher than 7.0mmol/l - require alteration in
treatment and should be reported to your GP or diabetes care
team. The main symptoms of high sugar levels are tiredness,
thirst, dry mouth, passing lots of urine day and night, genital
itching and rash. However, sometimes none of these symptoms are
felt, which is why it is so important to monitor blood sugar
levels on a regular basis. Left unchecked, persistent high blood
sugar can cause damage to the arteries.
It is also important to have a HbA1c test done every 3 to 6
months to confirm home readings. This test gives the average
blood sugar level during the preceding eight to twelve weeks.
The HbA1c is very important in monitoring diabetic control and,
if high, indicates a need for increased treatment. |
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