Questions people with diabetes should ask their doctor when going to the doctor

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted with General Internal Medicine - Department of Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.
Diabetes mellitus or diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease. The cause of the disease is a complete or partial lack of insulin in the blood. Here are some questions that people with diabetes often ask.

1. What should diabetics eat? And what not to eat?

For diabetes, in addition to taking drugs to lower blood sugar, a reasonable diet also contributes half to the effectiveness of treatment. Therefore, diabetics need to know what kind of diet they should have. Accordingly, the foods that should be eaten include:
Sugar group: Whole grains, vegetables, beans, ... are processed by steaming, boiling or baking, limited not frying, frying, frying... Limited prepare starchy foods such as rice, rice-based products such as vermicelli, pho, ... tubers such as potatoes, cassava. Meat and fish group: Patients should eat fish, lean meat, poultry without skin, should be cooked by steaming, boiling or grilling. Should not eat fried, fried, fried foods,... Do not eat fatty pork, animal viscera, poultry skin,... Fat group: Foods containing unsaturated fats are preferred in the diabetic diet. For example: soybean oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil, etc. Limit foods containing saturated fat, high in cholesterol. Vegetables and fruits group: Patients should eat a lot of fiber with processing methods such as steaming, boiling, salad... Fruits: Eat a lot of fresh fruit. It is necessary to limit the fruits that contain a lot of sugar such as sugar cane, durian, ..., dried fruits.

2. Eating principles of people with diabetes

In addition to the foods to eat and what not to eat. Diabetics need to build a diet according to the following principles:
Divide into many small meals a day, to avoid sudden spikes in blood sugar. Eat on time, in moderation: When you are too hungry and use blood sugar lowering drugs, your blood sugar will drop. Too low a blood sugar can lead to a coma. If you are too full, the amount of sugar will increase. Too much sugar leads to coma and death if not treated promptly. It is necessary to exercise gently after eating in combination with daily exercise to ensure health and support disease treatment

3. Is diabetes dangerous if not treated?

Diabetes is a chronic disease. If not treated in combination with the right diet, the disease will appear many complications.
Acute complications: hyperosmolarity due to hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, lactic acidosis, ketoacidosis. Chronic complications: Microvascular complications: Diabetic retinopathy: Over time can cause blindness in diabetic patients.
Renal microangiopathy: Leading cause of progressive chronic renal failure, often co-occurring with diabetic retinopathy
Diabetic neuropathy: Peripheral nerve dysfunction in patients with diabetes such as burning sensation, stinging, electric shock, increased pain sensation and deep pain.
Major vascular complications: Due to increased lipid deposition leading to atherosclerosis of many large blood vessels, causing myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident,...
Infectious complications: The body is most susceptible to infection, especially lower urinary tract infections, easy to cause retrograde inflammation. Skin and mucosal infections: Staphylococcus aureus, Other complications: Hypertension, diabetic feet,...

4. What is the HbA1c test?

Glucose reacts with hemoglobin (abbreviated as Hb) to form glycosylated hemoglobin. In red blood cells, there are 3 types of Hb: HbA1 accounts for 97–98%, HbA2 accounts for 2–3%, HbF is fetal hemoglobin when the baby is born with only traces of HbF. HBA1 has 3 groups: HbA1a, HbA1b, HbA1c, of which HbA1c accounts for 80%. To quantify the glycosylated portion of Hb, one quantifies the glycosylated HbA1c, referred to as HbA1c. The life of red blood cells is 120 days, so based on HbA1c, it is possible to assess blood glucose levels about 3 months before the test date.
Value of HbA1c test :
Normal blood value: 2.2% to 5.6% Increased risk of diabetes (Pre-diabetes): 5.7% to 6.4% diabetes when >6.5 % Cases causing HbA1c increase
Increase blood glucose concentration Newly diagnosed diabetic patients Chronic kidney failure, anemia Lead poisoning Cases causing HbA1c decrease:
Chronic blood loss Time The life span of red blood cells is shortened: Hemolytic anemia, Thalassemia, spherical red blood cells, .... After blood transfusion. After splenectomy.

5. How often to test blood sugar?

Diabetics should have a blood glucose monitor at home so they can check their own blood sugar every day. Based on the change in blood sugar in a day, your doctor will plan the right treatment for you by adjusting the dose of medicine and developing a suitable diet.
Depending on each type 1 or 2 of the disease, the stage of the disease and the treatment plan, you have a different frequency of blood sugar testing. To determine the number of tests per day, you should visit specialized facilities for advice from doctors.

6. Microalbuminuria test

As mentioned above, one of the complications of diabetes is kidney damage. Normally, albumin is filtered by the glomerulus and is reabsorbed almost entirely in the renal tubules. With the microalbuminuria test, this amount of albumin can be determined.
Based on the ratio between microalbuminuria/creatinine in urine taken in the early morning, we have the following values ​​
< 30 mcg/mg is normal > 30 mcg/mg is abnormal > 300, it can be detected by biochemical tests Baseline Urine Test Significance: Persistently elevated microalbuminuria must be considered a high risk factor not only for renal complications but also reflected in cardiovascular complications of diabetes Street.

7. Methods to prevent diabetes

Diabetes has a lot to do with a person's nutrition, exercise and lifestyle. To prevent disease, you need to eliminate risky behaviors and take actions that are best for your body.
Prevention of overweight and obesity: Based on BMI (body mass index, calculated by the formula BMI = weight (kg) / squared height (m)) that the doctor assesses overweight or your malnutrition. It is necessary to keep the index between 18 and 24. Increase exercise, physical training and sports: Do not sit a lot, lie down and watch TV. You should participate in exercise activities suitable for your health, avoid activities that are too hard for you. Exercise regularly for 30 minutes to 1 hour every day. It is necessary to build a suitable diet for yourself and your family: Reduce the amount of fat and sugar in your daily meals, eat a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits, do not skip meals or eat too much. Limit alcohol, stimulants,.... At Vinmec International Hospital, we always deploy a screening package for diabetes and dyslipidemia to help detect pre-diabetes early and classify them. Accurately type diabetes, build nutrition, monitor to minimize the risk and complications caused by diabetes.

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