Taking care of diabetics in the family

Women with diabetes have more to manage. Stay on track by checking your blood sugar often, eating healthy food, and being active so you can be your healthiest and feel your best.

Diabetes increases the risk of heart disease (the most common diabetes complication) by about four times in women but only about two times in men, and women have worse outcomes after a heart attack. Women are also at higher risk of other diabetes-related complications such as blindness, kidney disease, and depression.

The burdens of managing a chronic disease like diabetes may also lead women to skip recommended cancer screenings, researchers say.

An analysis of data from studies over two decades finds that women with diabetes are less likely than those without the disease to get screened for cervical, breast and colorectal cancers.

"Dr Banting invented the insulin for diabetes. After that invention, millions of lives have been saved, especially of women who have more complications. Lifecycle is different, where the daughters and granddaughters are affected," says Dr Usha Sriram, Endocrinologist and General Physician in the city.

Usha is organising the mega conference on the World Diabetes Day in the city for the families to come and discuss about the patients in their house and take good care of them during medical issues. She says, “This conference will be for all socio-economic people, free scheming will be provided for the same. The families will be motivated to deal and cope with medical problems like treating low sugar of the patients.”  

Gestational diabetes-high blood sugar during pregnancy-can develop in women who don't already have diabetes. It affects 50% to 70% of pregnancies in the India every year. Any woman can have gestational diabetes, but some are at higher risk, including those who are overweight or have obesity, are more than 25 years old, or have a family history of type 2 diabetes.

“These kinds of discussion will be very helpful because it will be a general awareness. Once the pregnant woman comes to know that they are having gestural diabetes, she immediately panics. People who are not aware of diabetes go for miscarriage and if we find it out they go in for high sugars during their pregnancy which is again deter mental to the fetus at the outside itself. To avoid such issues they have to follow fitness and healthy diet”, says, Shashikala, consultant Diabetologist

Careful management is important to ensure a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby. More than ever walking every day can help to reduce the blood sugar level tremendously, say experts.