Glucose levels too high
That glucose level – also called blood sugar level – is too high and out of balance in people with diabetes. This can cause damage to blood vessels and nerves and thus to many organs in the body. Patients often do not notice this high blood sugar level for a long time. Not everyone has obvious complaints.
‘Pee a lot’
In the initial stage, complaints can also be missed because they resemble things that everyone sometimes has, says internist-diabetologist Behiye Özcan of Erasmus MC. ‘In the beginning, the symptoms of high glucose levels are thirst, drowsiness, fatigue and urinating a lot’, zcan sums up. ‘And in the longer term, chronically higher blood glucose can cause complications in, for example, the heart, eyes, kidneys and feet. Mental problems and problems with sexuality can also arise.’
Heart attack
But there are also people who only discover that they have diabetes after a serious complication such as a heart attack has already developed. That makes diabetes an insidious disease, warns Özcan, who mainly treats complex diabetes patients. In addition to diabetes, they have, for example, heart failure, had a transplant or they are missing their pancreas.
Eye disorders
‘Half of the patients with diabetes develop cardiovascular disease, and eye abnormalities develop in a quarter. Due to the damage in the vessels, toes, feet or legs sometimes have to be amputated. Worldwide, diabetes is an important cause of blindness.’
Two types
There are different types of diabetes, of which type 1 and type 2 are the most well known. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease and is not very common. About 90 percent of people have type 2, also known as old-age sugar. An important risk factor for type 2 is obesity. An unhealthy diet, too little exercise and smoking also increase the risk. Diabetes can also run in families. ‘If you have diabetes in your family and are overweight, be sure to get yourself checked.’ At the moment, approximately 150 people in the Netherlands are diagnosed with it every day. There are many, but Özcan is particularly concerned about the 1.1 million people with prediabetes, a precursor to diabetes.
No complaints
‘There is an enormous group of people who do not yet experience any complaints, but who do have slightly elevated blood sugar levels. These slightly elevated blood sugar levels can cause initial damage to the blood vessels, also in the vessels in the eyes’, she warns.
Prediabetes
Prediabetes often becomes real diabetes in the long run. One to two-thirds of people with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within 6 years, research has shown. ‘Prediabetes is reversible: with a healthy lifestyle you lower the slightly elevated blood sugar levels and prevent further damage. I know it’s not easy, but a healthy lifestyle is really the most important thing.’
Diabetes-distress
Apart from all the physical health problems, diabetes often has a bad effect on the mind as well. ‘Diabetes drags you everywhere: to your holiday destination, to a party, to your wedding. This is not an ordinary folk disease. Many people deal with their diabetes day in and day out and can experience high diabetes distress as a result. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help with distress. And when people are happy again, blood sugar levels normalize again.’
Too heavy
Özcan therefore advises: if you are overweight, and/or if you have a family with diabetes, be vigilant. Also be alert if you have Turkish, Moroccan or Surinamese-Hindustani roots: these population groups have an increased risk of diabetes. Women who have had diabetes during their pregnancy also have an increased risk of developing type 2. If you want to get started with a healthy lifestyle, or if you want to have your blood sugar levels checked, it is therefore recommended .