Diabetes affects 29.1 million individuals in the United States, accounting for 9.3 percent of the population. Some symptoms of diabetes might have an impact on an individual’s overall health. These can be caused by the illness itself, other health problems, or the negative effects of specific drugs; diabetes dizziness is one of them.
Dizziness is characterized by the sense of being lightheaded, dizzy, or bewildered. When you are dizzy, you could also feel low or unstable. Standing up, walking, or rotating your head might cause dizziness, and you could also feel sick. Dizziness that occurs suddenly or is severe may need you to rest or lie down.
Diabetics may suffer diabetes dizziness for a variety of causes, including:
Hypoglycemia happens when a person’s blood sugar level is extremely low which may cause diabetes dizziness. Blood sugar is required for the brain to operate correctly and as a source of energy. Norepinephrine and epinephrine are the hormones that the brain uses to elevate blood sugar levels. The brain cannot operate correctly if it does not receive enough of these hormones. This can result in:
Diabetic individuals are prone to hypoglycemia. This could be developed by:
Hyperglycemia is defined as high blood glucose levels. This develops when the body has far too much sugar in the blood and hence does not produce enough insulin to disperse the necessary quantity of glucose in the blood.
Many diabetics suffer from hyperglycemia. It happens when a person with diabetes of type 1 is unable to create enough insulin via the pancreas. Because the body may be resistant to insulin, a person with type 2 diabetes isn’t producing enough natural insulin to maintain a normal glucose level. This is one of the contributing factors for diabetes dizziness.
If left untreated, hyperglycemia can lead to a variety of complications. Among the potential complications are:
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can cause heart attacks, hemorrhage, and other consequences. In a condition of diabetes, it makes a person twice as likely to have high blood pressure. Furthermore, people with diabetes are four significantly more prone to develop heart disease than people who do not have diabetes. Approximately two-thirds of people with diabetes have high blood pressure and/or take prescription hypertension medication. High blood pressure symptoms include:
Diabetes patients can experience extreme thirst. This is caused to an overabundance of glucose, as well as the kidneys being strained inability to consume and process that glucose. If the kidneys are unable to do so properly, the additional glucose will be excreted in the urine. This will also cause dehydration by drawing fluids from other tissues and thus diabetics feel being dizzy. As a result, consuming more water leads to more urination. Dehydration is considered as one of the contributing factors to diabetes dizziness.
Since diabetics have been prescribed a variety of drugs. Some people have additional medical issues, and the medicine they take might be for a variety of reasons. If a diabetic patient is taking blood pressure or water retention medication, this might cause a reduction in both blood pressure and levels of potassium, resulting in diabetes dizziness. Other medicines, like anti-inflammatories, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or antibiotics might produce dizziness.
Exercise offers several advantages. The problematic part for persons having diabetes of type 1 can drop blood sugar both short and long term. Exercise intensity, duration, and timing can all have an impact on the risk of falling low or dizziness in diabetes.
It is critical to communicate and cooperate with your healthcare professional when managing diabetes. Eat well, exercise regularly, and take your medicine as directed could help prevent many consequences including diabetes dizziness. Also, be aware that diabetes is linked to a number of illnesses due to which diabetic may feel dizzy. Other than the symptom of diabetes dizziness, loss in clarity of vision and depth perception may increase the risk and recurrence of falls in diabetics. Blood sugar monitoring, food, and eating behavior are all beneficial aspects. Discussions with your healthcare provider on a regular basis can help you manage your health in the best way possible.
See Also: Learning Diabetes Care and Factors Affecting Diabetic Wound Healing
While this is being emphasized how much it is still critical to follow your checkups and manage your illness via good lifestyle choices that may address diabetes dizziness effectively. Being healthy and eating a nutritious diet helps lower your chance of diabetic problems. When you begin taking insulin, you are likely to find that you gain weight. There are several causes for this, including the amount of insulin you take and the kind of food you consume. If you are worried about gaining weight or need help reducing weight, we are here to help you at Family Medicine Austin. Please contact or reach out to us for a tailored management plan by our healthcare experts.
Diabetes occurs when your body becomes unable to produce enough insulin. Insulin is a hormone that your body uses to convert glucose or sugar into energy. If your body experiences difficulty in metabolizing glucose, this may cause high blood sugar levels to take place. The condition is called Hyperglycaemia, which may further lead to lessening your body’s ability to heal diabetic wounds.
In the United States, approximately 30.3 million people have a type of diabetes, and most of these people suffer from complications caused by delayed diabetes wound healing and associated infections.
In diabetes, wounds heal slowly and develop more rapidly. So it’s critical to know about the factors contributing to wound healing and worsening in diabetes.
For people living their lives with diabetes, minor cuts, scars, and burns may become an uncontrollable yet unfortunate part of life. In several cases, these diabetic wounds tend to not heal completely, or never ever get healed. Due to this, an infection can occur at any time which can have serious consequences for diabetic patients. An infection may spread to nearby tissue and bone as well as other areas in the body. In some cases, and in the absence of immediate medical attention, an infection can be fatal or life-threatening.
Even if no infection develops in a wound, slow diabetes wound healing can have a negative impact on a patient’s overall health and wellbeing. Cuts or injuries to the feet or legs can make walking or exercise challenging or painful.
When you experience diabetes, several causes contribute towards damaging your body`s function to heal wounds quickly, like:
When your blood glucose levels get elevated than normal, it certainly is responsible for the below consequences that ultimately slow down the diabetes wound healing process.
On an estimate, 1 in every 4 people with diabetes will develop foot ulcers which are extremely painful wounds and may eventually lead to amputation of the foot.
Factors increasing the risk of infection:
As discussed above, people experiencing poor or slower diabetes wound healing are also prone to developing underlying problems with blood vessels and nerves. This may lead to other problems including heart disease, kidney problems, and impaired vision.
If an infection is present in the wound and is not treated, it may proceed to the stage of Gangrene. Gangrene is a major cause of amputations in diabetic patients who have lost limbs. Studies suggest that approximately 230 amputation surgeries are performed every day in the United States.
Foot care
Adequate foot care includes:
When to visit the doctor
If you are dealing with a diabetic wound, you should consult your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms:
Below are a few recommendations you should consider to improve your immune system:
Diabetes patients can improve their glucose level by avoiding refined carbohydrates, added sugars, and junk foods which also aids in the consumption of fibers, vegetables, and fruits. Better nutrition provides your body with the adequate amount of nutrients it requires to overcome slow wound healing like vitamin C, zinc, and protein.
See Also: The Future Of Diabetes Management
At Family Medicine Austin, we provide standardized care to ensure accurate diagnosis, treatment, management, and education for diabetes and wound care, along with diabetes-related risks. For proper examination, please visit our clinic or call for instant assistance.
10.5% of the U.S. population had diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2020. If this number continues to grow at the same rate, by 2040, it is predicted that diabetes will affect 642 million people globally.
Research shows that $1 out of every $4 in the U.S. healthcare system is spent on the care of someone with diabetes. There is an increasing demand for better and more modernized ways of managing this epidemic.
Diabetes is one of the major causes of blindness, kidney failure, stroke, and infarction around the world but despite its global impact, there is still no cure for the disease. However, science is still striving to find ways to better manage diabetes to limit the vast increase in its prevalence and the mounting healthcare costs associated with it.
Today, developments in the healthcare industry, especially the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), have revolutionized the future of diabetes treatment. As technology and research continue to progress, it shows clearly that the future of diabetes is now.
In this article, we take a peek at the future of diabetes research and try to understand what the future of diabetes treatment may look like in a decade or so.
Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by the body’s disability to produce sufficient insulin or respond normally to it. There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2.
In Type 1 Diabetes, the body’s immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas rendering it incapable of producing enough insulin. Only about 5-10% of all people with diabetes are diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. In Type 2 Diabetes, the pancreas produces enough insulin but the body develops insulin resistance which means that the cells of your body do not respond normally to the hormone.
The management of both types requires constant monitoring and maintenance of the blood glucose level, usually via regular insulin intake. This part of the management of diabetes is dependent on technology which helps in monitoring your blood glucose, your blood pressure, your weight, following a diet plan, etc.
Fortunately, innovations in digital healthcare have completely changed the outlook of the future of diabetes treatment. New technologies such as continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion treatments and real-time continuous interstitial glucose monitoring have shaped the future of diabetes treatment in our society.
Additionally, electronic tools that allow the monitoring of therapeutic approaches, smart devices to create and monitor diet plans, automated bolus calculators for optimal insulin therapy, and advanced tools for the increased education of patients have also become widespread and play vital roles in the management of the disease.
After decades of research, scientists have been able to connect various diabetes devices and create a system that mimics what a healthy pancreas does. Better known as an ‘artificial pancreas’, this device ultimately will play a key role in the future of diabetes treatment. The device aims to automate blood glucose control by the programmed delivery of insulin directed by a sophisticated computer algorithm and supported by a continuous glucose monitor.
This way, the patient doesn’t have to constantly prick their finger to monitor their blood glucose and then calculate how much insulin to take based on the glucometer reading. This futuristic technology is changing the future of diabetes treatment and the lives of those who depend on it. To date, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only approved two AID systems but other companies are still working on more systems that may be commercially available in the future.
The application of AI to diabetes treatment and management has been one of the key advancements that have molded the future of diabetes treatment in today’s time. Technological innovations powered by AI such as wearables, smartphones, and other gadgets play a critical role for patients today to help them constantly monitor and track their symptoms. AI-assisted care has also made it convenient for physicians and enhanced their efficiency when it comes to providing care to diabetes patients.
The FDA has also approved IDX-DR, the first autonomous AI-powered diagnostic system that is capable of the early detection of diabetic retinopathy, a condition where the retina is damaged due to high blood sugar levels.
Ultimately, such a diagnostic AI system can help diabetic patients receive timely treatment for this condition before it may cause further damage or worse, blindness.
While most diabetic treatments can help patients better manage their symptoms to an extent, there is still no definitive cure for any type of diabetes. However, the biotech industry has been working extensively to develop a cure and research has shown great promise for the future of diabetes treatment.
For Type 1 Diabetes, the biggest hope for a cure stems from cell therapy, the idea of which is to replace the destroyed insulin-producing cells with new cells that could recover normal insulin production. Despite a majority of the early attempts at such a therapy failing, research continues to look for ways to transplant pancreatic cells without causing immunological reactions.
Although in its early stages of research, the Diabetes Research Institute in the US has developed a bioengineered mini-organ consisting of insulin-producing cells encapsulated by a protective barrier to prevent immunological rejection. In 2016, the institute announced that the first patient treated with this mini-organ as a part of their trial no longer need insulin therapy anymore.
For Type 2 Diabetes, several drugs are in their developmental stages. Perhaps, the most popular prospect in this regard would be glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, which induce insulin production while also suppressing the secretion of glucagon.
Another drug is being developed by the French company Poxel. The drug, which has shown great promise in its trial stages, simultaneously targets the liver, pancreas, and muscles to reduce blood glucose levels.
See Also: Diagnosis And Treatment Of Diabetic Foot Infections
The future of diabetes treatment is indeed promising and we can expect more and more innovations coming into existence. Scientists are already speculating about the involvement of nanotechnology in the future of diabetes research.
It is expected that this technology can diagnose diabetes before symptoms may arise or measure glucose and deliver insulin directly in the patients’ bloodstream. At this point, there’s little left to the imagination. But whatever the future of diabetes may bring, one thing is for certain that it will undoubtedly have a profound impact on the lives of millions of people around the globe.
Nevertheless, as much as the future of diabetes management looks encouraging, one cannot ignore the importance of preventive care, especially if you are at an increased risk owing to obesity, high cholesterol levels, or a family history of diabetes. Our diabetes specialist at Family Medicine Austin can help you understand what lifestyle changes you need to make to manage it and avoid serious health complications.
1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year. Diabetes leads to an array of other debilitating problems, such as neuropathy, heart disease, and above all, a weakened immune system.
As a result of neuropathy-related nerve damage, this condition can also lead to one of the most common problems for diabetics, diabetic foot infections. It means that there are diminished sensations in the legs and feet, so patients don’t feel blisters or ulcers developing in those regions until it becomes septic, and the infection progresses to an advanced stage.
One such infection is called diabetic cellulitis, which penetrates the deeper layers of the skin causing moderate to severe problems. Keep reading to learn more about diabetic cellulitis treatment and diagnosis, along with other common diabetic infections of the foot, and how you can prevent them.
As with other infections, diabetic foot infections occur when bacteria enter the body through a wound on the foot. Everyday things like scrapes and blisters can lead to diabetic ulcers. Bacteria enter the bloodstream through these ulcers and cause an infection. Non-diabetics can feel the blisters and treat them before they get infected while diabetics cannot, and the infection can spread causing serious damage like necrosis, sepsis, and can even lead to amputation.
Neuropathy is nerve damage, which is a common result of diabetes and sensory diabetic neuropathy is due to uncontrolled diabetes. It disturbs the sensations in the legs and feet of a diabetic patient. Hence, they may not feel blisters and other wounds on their feet if they get hurt or foreign materials such as pebbles enter their shoes. If they don’t remove the source of injury, it can lead to a laceration and allow bacteria to enter the wound.
Diabetes weakens blood flow to parts of the body so, without sufficient blood flow, wounds or cuts may take longer to heal. People with diabetes are not aware of their injuries due to damaged nerves, and insufficient blood flow further slows down the healing. Thus, they are at a risk of ulcers and severe foot infections.
Cellulitis is an infection of the deeper skin layers, occurring almost anywhere in the body, however, the foot is the most vulnerable area for diabetics. It is due to Streptococcus and Staphylococcus bacteria which exist symbiotically on the skin. However, if they enter the body through a cut, they can result in an infection.
Cellulitis ranges from mild to severe levels; mild cases mostly appear as redness in a localized area, while severe cases can lead to sepsis. The extent of the spread depends on the person’s immune system. In diabetics, high blood sugar levels weaken immunity, while neuropathy and impaired blood flow increase vulnerability to diabetic infections.
If you delay diabetes cellulitis treatment, it can lead to various complications. You may develop permanent swelling in the affected area, or the bacteria may spread to the bones, muscles, or even the heart. It can also lead to sepsis, which is a life-threatening condition. Sepsis symptoms include fever, low blood pressure, pale skin, dizziness, and a rapid heartbeat.
It is best to seek professional help and let a physician examine the infected area and assess other symptoms. The infected area is usually red, swollen, tender, and warm. Lymph nodes may also swell up around the body, such as the groin if the leg or foot is infected.
The doctor may take a sample for biopsy to determine which bacteria are present. Identifying the correct bacteria helps prescribe an effective treatment for diabetes cellulitis.
Treatment for diabetes cellulitis depends on the severity of infection in each individual. If the infection is mild or in its initial stages, treatment is possible at home with oral antibiotics for one to two weeks. Your doctor may also prescribe a long-term, low-dose antibiotic as a preventive measure.
However, in severe cases, treatment for diabetes cellulitis incurs a hospital stay. Such patients usually experience high fever, vomiting, or persistent cellulitis. It is also necessary if the symptoms get progressively worse or if the patient is not responding to current treatment. In the hospital, they’ll receive a combination of antibiotics intravenously.
Diabetic foot infections are not limited to diabetic cellulitis. Other pathogens may also enter the wound, causing the following:
Myositis is an inflammation in the muscles due to disease or infection. Diabetics are more predisposed to myositis due to susceptibility to infection.
Staphylococcal bacteria are responsible for abscesses. White blood cells travel to the site of infection, which causes inflammation and tissue death. This creates a cavity that fills with pus to form an abscess.
Diabetes is associated with necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease. People with diabetes are susceptible to necrotizing fasciitis caused by polymicrobial infection or K. pneumoniae.
Septic arthritis is a joint infection caused by pathogens traveling to the joints from other parts of the body. In people with diabetes, germs entering from foot ulcers can travel to the joints to cause infection.
Osteomyelitis is a common complication in a diabetic patient’s foot. It’s the result of a soft tissue infection that spreads to the bone.
Other diabetic foot infections can be diagnosed by looking out for infected areas which become red, swollen, and tender. It may hurt, and the wound seeps pus. Once the infection develops, you may experience systemic symptoms like fever, chills, and shortness of breath.
People with diabetic foot infections may also develop gangrene around the ulcer or wound. The lack of blood flow causes the tissue to die and turn black. Not noticing the injury early only causes the infection to worsen, leading to amputation. Thus, it is critical for people with diabetes to examine their feet regularly for signs of infection.
The doctor will look for these signs and conduct a physical exam. They may also clean the wound, dress it in iodine or sulfadiazine cream, and remove necrotic tissue. In some cases, the doctor may order an X-ray if they suspect bone infection. Along with antibiotics, they may also prescribe anti-clotting medicines if your diabetic foot infection is severe. Some people have to undergo surgery to treat diabetic ulcers. In worst cases, amputation may be necessary to stop gangrenous tissue from spreading to other parts of the body.
You can take the following preventive steps to avoid diabetic foot infections:
It is possible to cure diabetic foot infections if you seek timely treatment. Delaying treatment can cause the infection or gangrenous tissue to spread to other parts of the body and may result in an amputation. If pathogens enter the blood, they can cause sepsis, which is a life-threatening condition. Thus, you must regularly examine your feet for blisters and wounds and treat them immediately to prevent infection.
If you are seeking help for diabetes testing or in managing your glucose level, you may get in touch with our diabetes specialists at Family Medicine Austin
Diabetes is the condition in which the body does not properly process food for use as energy. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas makes insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should, which causes sugars to build up in the blood. This results in abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates and elevated levels of glucose in your blood and urine.
There are two main types of diabetes.
Approximately 90% of patients with diabetes suffer from type 2 diabetes making it much more common than type 1.
Causes of type 1 diabetes include autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors such as a virus. Causes of type II diabetes include older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, prior history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity.
Some people, especially those with prediabetes, may not experience symptoms initially. In type 1 diabetes, symptoms tend to come on quickly and be more severe. Symptoms for type 1 or type 2 diabetes could include:
Diabetes care is complex and requires that many issues, beyond glycemic control, be addressed. Treatment could include diet control, exercise, home blood glucose testing, and in some cases, oral medication and/or insulin. Approximately 40 percent of people with type 2 diabetes require insulin injections.
To learn more about our treatment options contact our team today.
