Diabetes

Overview

Diabetes is a long-term condition in which blood sugar (glucose) stays too high, because the body does not make enough insulin or cannot use it properly. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form in Pakistan and often develops slowly over years. Type 1 usually starts in childhood and needs insulin from the start. Gestational diabetes appears during pregnancy. Kept under control, people with diabetes can live full, active lives; uncontrolled sugar can harm the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and feet.

Causes

• Insulin resistance, often linked to extra weight around the waist
• The pancreas making too little insulin
• Autoimmune damage to insulin-making cells (type 1)
• Hormone changes in pregnancy (gestational diabetes)

Risk factors

• Family history of diabetes
• Being overweight and physically inactive
• Age over 40
• High blood pressure or high cholesterol
• Diabetes during a previous pregnancy
• South Asian background

Symptoms

• Feeling very thirsty and passing urine often, especially at night
• Tiredness and weakness
• Unexplained weight loss
• Blurred vision
• Slow-healing cuts and frequent infections
• Tingling or numbness in hands and feet

Diagnosis

Diabetes is diagnosed with blood tests: fasting blood sugar, a random sugar test, an oral glucose tolerance test, or HbA1c, which shows the average sugar over the last 2–3 months. Once diagnosed, regular HbA1c, kidney, eye and foot checks help catch problems early.

Management

• Healthy eating with fewer sugary drinks, sweets and refined flour
• Regular physical activity, such as a 30-minute walk most days
• Weight loss if overweight
• Medicines prescribed by your doctor, such as metformin, gliptins, SGLT2 inhibitors or insulin
• Checking blood sugar at home with a glucometer
• Daily foot care and yearly eye checks

When to see a doctor