Diabetes Complications Causes and Countermeasures
Exacerbation of illness by overeating stress
Onset even if there is no diabetic in the family
Even mild hyperglycemia can cause complications.
Get regular check-ups even if you don’t have any symptoms
Preventing obesity through regular exercise
Eat the right amount of food at the right time
Eat vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates in order
Fruit should be eaten before meals rather than following meals.
Office worker A (44) suffered from depression due to extreme stress three years ago and was recently diagnosed with diabetes. At a health checkup four years ago, my fasting blood sugar level came out to be close to 100mg/dL, the level of pre-diabetes, but I had been living my life without feeling any major health problems. Mr. A’s current HbA1c level is 12.1%, and his fasting blood sugar level is over 300 mg/dL. It has deteriorated rapidly in just 3-4 years.
Experts said that in addition to genetic factors and environmental factors such as lack of exercise and obesity, excessive stress can also cause or worsen diabetes. On the 16th, Professor Kim Hyun-min of the Department of Endocrinology at Chung-Ang University Hospital said, “Psychological and physical stress also raises blood sugar. promotes a rise in blood sugar,” he explained. If stress continues unresolved, cortisol, an adrenal cortical hormone, is secreted, which interferes with insulin action and increases blood sugar as well.
About 50% of diabetes is influenced by genetic factors
If you have a habit of relieving stress through binge eating, it can make your condition worse. If you overeat, consume too much carbohydrates or fat, and neglect exercise, you are more likely to become obese, and obesity lowers your body’s insulin performance. Insulin is a hormone that commands glucose to be converted into energy. If insulin does not function properly due to various factors, glucose absorbed in the blood is not used as energy and overflows into the urine. This morbid condition is diabetes.
Diabetic patients can become tired and lethargic even with sufficient rest due to the reduced ability to convert glucose into energy. In addition, when glucose is excreted in the urine, a large amount of water is dragged along to urinate frequently, which can cause severe thirst. Carbohydrates ingested are not used as energy and are excreted, resulting in a feeling of hunger and weight loss.
However, these symptoms do not appear in all diabetics. These are typical symptoms that appear when blood sugar is very high, over 300 mg/dL. Most people do not have any specific symptoms when they are diagnosed with diabetes, so they do not know they have diabetes and are diagnosed late. Therefore, it is good for those whose parents are diabetic or obese, who are at high risk of developing diabetes, to have their diabetes checked periodically. Park Jeong-hwan, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism at Hanyang University Hospital, said, “Diabetes is known to be influenced by regarding 50% of genetic factors. degree,” he explained. However, Professor Park said, “If there is a diabetic in the family, it does not necessarily mean that diabetes will develop, and on the contrary, if there is no diabetic in the family, the risk of developing diabetes does not exist at all.” ”he explained.
Diabetes itself does not have any symptoms, but the reason why it is necessary to thoroughly manage it with diet, exercise therapy, and medication is because of complications. If left untreated, it increases the risk of developing acute or chronic complications.
Park Jong-suk, professor of endocrinology at Yonsei University Gangnam Severance Hospital, said, “If even a slight hyperglycemia persists, it causes complications in various organs.” there is,” he said.
Complications such as stroke and myocardial infarction
When there is too much sugar in the blood, fat and various cells are deposited on the walls of the blood vessels, narrowing the blood vessels little by little, and later completely blocking them. Diabetic retinopathy, in which the tiny blood vessels in the retina are damaged, can lead to blindness and damage the kidneys to the extent that dialysis is required. In particular, the feet are easily injured due to the overlap of blood circulation disorder and peripheral nerve damage, and the wounds do not heal, making them aggravated until the skin necrosis. This is called diabetic foot lesion, and in severe cases, the leg is amputated. Because this process takes years or even decades, diabetes is sometimes called the ‘silent killer’. Jeong Chang-hee, a professor of endocrinology at Asan Medical Center, said, “The complications of diabetes have in common that there are no symptoms at the beginning, but only when the situation becomes serious, then symptoms appear.” We need to check the status,” he stressed.
Diabetic patients should regularly eat the right amount of food at a set time, and limit simple sugar intake such as sugar or honey. Rather than a typical meal that leads to ‘rice, side dishes, meat, and fruit’, ‘vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates’ in order to consume carbohydrates later is recommended. Fruits that raise blood sugar should be eaten before meals rather than following meals.
Diabetic patients experience stress due to strict diet management, regular exercise, difficulties in weight control, and the burden of blood sugar measurement and measurement results. This kind of stress makes diabetes worse, which leads to a vicious cycle of stress once more. It is said that regarding 60% of diabetic patients experience anxiety due to such stress. Chronic anxiety activates the stress hormone cortisol, which can lead to obesity, dyslipidemia, and high blood pressure.
Knowing and dealing with diabetes to prevent stress
Professor Park Jong-sook said, “Knowing well regarding diabetes through studying will enable you to cope with proper self-management and prevent stress.” he advised.
Professor Park Jeong-hwan said, “It is important to think that diabetes cannot be cured, but if you manage it well, you can live without major problems. You can stay healthier.”
Professor Jeong said, “Because blood sugar control is not over in a short period of time, it is a lifelong process, so it is better to have a long-term view and approach rather than to skimp on the numbers, and there is no need to dwell on each number.” Professor Kim advised, “Rather than thinking, ‘I have this kind of discomfort because I am a diabetic,’ thinking from a different point of view, ‘I am making a habit that is very good for my health,’ will help reduce stress.”
Reporter Lee Hyeon-jeong
