Monthly Archives: July 2022

Diabetes is a condition that raises the risk of other health issues as well. In fact, diabetes-related blood sugar imbalances can negatively impact not only other organs of the body, but also the skin. If you have diabetes, you may be susceptible to dry skin that can crack, itch, and get infected easily.

Apart from dry skin, blood sugar fluctuations can also cause blisters, red or dark patches on the skin, bacterial infections, diabetic dermopathy (a condition marked by light brown patches) and acanthosis nigricans (a darkened band of thickened, velvety skin, particularly in the area near the armpits, groin, and back of the neck).

Health Shots spoke to Dr Nivedita Dadu, a renowned dermatologist and founder and chairman of Dadu Medical Centre, who shared the best ways or tips to avoid skin issues if you have diabetes.

But first lets take a look at why diabetes causes skin issues.

Dr Dadu says, Most people with diabetes or pre-diabetic conditions notice some recurring skin issues or have skin disorders at some point in their life. Diabetes causes high blood glucose, which can lead to poor blood circulation in the body. As a result, the blood vessels and nerves do not get enough blood and nutrients. Hence, decreased blood circulation reduces the skins ability to heal and damages skin collagen, thus robbing the skin of its ability to bounce back. Due to this, the white blood cells also lose their ability to fight infections, which is one of the causes of developing diabetic feet.

Damaged skin cells lose the ability to function well, and the skin experiences increased sensitivity to temperature and pressure. During the initial stage of diabetes, people experience skin patches. Patches can form on the neck or armpits. Some people experience pale skin as well. Due to poor blood circulation, itching can occur on various parts of the body, especially on the lower legs, says Dr Dadu.

Diabetes also makes your skin sensitive, increasing the likelihood of cuts and bruises. If these injuries are ignored, a more serious infection may develop because diabetes slows the healing process by interfering with the immune systems activation.

1. Follow a healthy lifestyle: People with a history of diabetes in their family should also be on the lookout for symptoms of vitiligo and psoriasis. Regular medication, exercise, and a controlled diet to keep diabetes under control can help control most skin problems.

2. Maintain skin hygiene: Keep your skin clean and dry, especially in problem areas such as underarms, under the breasts, between toes, and around the groin area.

3. Do not take a hot shower: Avoid very hot baths and showers. Bathe twice in hot, humid weather to decrease sweating, thereby reducing chances of infection.

4. Keep your skin moisturized: Moisturize your skin twice a day. Apply moisturizer all over the body if your skin is dry, as dryness allows for allergic reactions to transpire.

5. Take good care of your feet and hands: Diabetics are more likely to get skin and other ailments related to the extremities. Check them every day for sores and cuts. Wear broad, flat shoes that fit well.

6. Treat the wound immediately: Apply antibiotic ointment on cuts and wounds immediately.

7. Always wear sunscreen: Wear an SPF 40 sunscreen every day. Sunscreen will protect your skin from sun damage and its harmful effects.

Lastly, drink lots of water to keep yourself hydrated and include foods such as cinnamon, jamun, aloe vera, berries, tomatoes, amla, curd, lemongrass, etc. in your diet.

Original post:
7 expert-backed tips to prevent skin issues in diabetics - Health shots

Multiple cardiometabolic diseases doubled the risk of dementia and cognitive impairment, hastening their onset by two years, and speeding up the pace of cognitive decline.

People who have at least two of the conditions type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or stroke are twice as likely to develop dementia. Research from Swedens Karolinska Institutet that was published in the journal Alzheimers & Dementia suggests the possibility that preventing diabetes and cardiovascular disease might be a tactic for lowering dementia risk.

Some of the major risk factors for dementia are type 2 diabetes, heart diseases (ischemic heart disease, heart failure, or atrial fibrillation), and stroke, together referred to as cardiometabolic diseases.

Few studies have examined how the risk of dementia is affected by having more than one of these diseases simultaneously, so thats what we wanted to examine in our study, says Abigail Dove, a doctoral student at the Aging Research Centre, part of the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet.

Over many years, dementia progressively develops. It initially appears as a slow deterioration in cognitive function that is only detected in cognitive testing. After that, it progresses to cognitive impairment, in which the person can still care for themselves but observes that their memory is deteriorating, and lastly to full-blowndementia.

Data on 2,500 healthy, dementia-free people over 60 living on Kungsholmen in Stockholm were taken from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care. Medical records and clinical examination were used to determine the prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases at the beginning of the trial. The patients were then evaluated medically and given cognitive tests over the course of twelve years to track changes in cognitive function and the development of dementia.

Multiple cardiometabolic diseases doubledthe likelihood of cognitive impairment and dementia and hastened their onset by two years. They also sped up the pace of cognitive decline. More diseases were associated with a larger degree of risk.

In our study, the combinations of diabetes/heart disease and diabetes/heart disease/stroke were the most damaging to cognitive function, says Dove.

However, individuals who had just one cardiometabolic disease did not display a significantly higher risk of dementia.

This is good news. The study shows that the risk only increases once someone has at least two of the diseases, so its possible that dementia can be averted by preventing the development of a second disease.

The correlation between cardiometabolic diseases and the risk for dementia was stronger in the participants who were under 78 years old.

We should therefore focus on cardiometabolic disease prevention already in middle age, since the risk of cognitive failure and dementia appears higher among those who develop a cardiometabolic disease earlier in life, says Dove.

The researchers hope in future studies to learn more about the mechanism driving this correlation by examining the impact of genetic factors and using brain imaging to see how cardiometabolic diseases might damage the brain.

Reference: Cardiometabolic multimorbidity accelerates cognitive decline and dementia progression by Abigail Dove, Anna Marseglia, Ying Shang, Giulia Grande, Davide Liborio Vetrano, Erika J Laukka, Laura Fratiglioni and Weili Xu, 16 June 2022, Alzheimers & Dementia.DOI: 10.1002/alz.12708

The study was funded by the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare Forte, the Swedish Alzheimers Foundation, and Lindhs Advokatbyr. No commercial interests have been reported.

Read more:
Diabetes and Heart Disease Can Double Your Risk of Dementia - SciTechDaily

Are you having diabetes? Do you fail to control it? Then, you are doing it all wrong! Did you know uncontrolled diabetes can lead to diabetic foot problems? Yes, thats right! There can be nerve damage and poor circulation, which can cause foot ulcers, blisters, pain and foot infections.

Abnormally high blood sugar levels often cause liver and kidney problems but do you know that it can also give a tough time to your feet? High sugar levels in the blood increase the chances of nerve damage (diabetes-related neuropathy) and circulation problems and foot injuries. Your feet can become numb.

Talking about foot problems related to diabetes in an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Rajan Modi, Laparoscopy and Laser Surgeon at House of Doctors, said, Those with uncontrolled diabetes are at a greater risk of developing foot sores, deformities and infections more easily. If one fails to get proper diabetic foot treatment at the right time then the foot ulcer or blister will get infected. In many cases, one may also need amputation (or part of the leg to prevent the spread of infection) and can even die. One with diabetes may also have peripheral vascular disease (PVD)which happens when the fatty deposits narrow the blood vessels by reducing circulation.

He added, The reduced blood flow causes pain, infection, and wounds that heal slowly. Diabetic calluses are also a common occurrence. Calluses are areas of hard, thickened skin cells seen on feet, and one will not be able to walk properly due to them. They can lead to ulcers and infections. An athlete's foot is a fungal infection that causes itching, redness, and cracking. Another problem is that the nails of the patient with diabetes tend to get infected due to fungus and may become discoloured, thick, and brittle. These foot problems can steal one's peace of mind.

Symptoms of diabetes-related neuropathy:

According to Dr Rajan Modi, the diabetic foot symptoms and signs are darkened skin on the affected area, low ability to sense hot or cold, numbness, pain, tingling sensation, changes to the skin or toenails, including cuts, blisters, calluses or sores, discharge of pus, foul smell, redness, pain and discoloration of the skin. One can also get a fever, chills and even shock. You should immediately consult the best diabetic foot doctor in Mumbai after noticing the symptoms.

Treatment:

Dr Rajan Modi revealed, Your doctor will examine you and then offer the right kind of diabetic foot treatment. He/she can clean the wound, drain the pus from the ulcer, and use a bandage or ointment to protect the wound, and quicken the healing process. You can also be asked to take IV antibiotics to deal with the infection. You will only have to follow the instructions given by the doctor and avoid self-medication.

Care tips for when you have diabetes-related neuropathy:

Dr Rajan Modi suggested -

1. Check your feet regularly and report any abnormal signs to the doctor, keep the feet elevated to encourage blood flow there, exercise daily, wear loose socks as recommended by the doctor, trim your nails, and dont walk barefoot as there are chances of an injury, avoid smoking or cutting calluses or corns.

2. Regular examinations are essential for preventing infections, amputations, and severe deformities.

3. If the skin on your feet is dry, apply lotion on your feet. Your doctor can tell you which type of lotion will suit you the best

4. Protect the feet from heat and cold. Wear socks at night if your feet get cold. Wear shoes at the beach.

5. Opt for well-fitted shoes that are recommended by the expert.

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Diabetes: Symptoms, treatment and care tips for Diabetic Foot problems - Hindustan Times

The profile of people registering at the two health centres in Mahama refugee camp, Rwanda, is changing. Doctors no longer focus on diseases such as malaria and diarrhoea, but increasingly on conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. And the patients are getting younger.

Among those registered are a six-year-old with hypertension (high blood pressure); a two-year-old with respiratory problems; a woman in her early 40s in renal failure she needs a kidney transplant after developing hypertension during pregnancy and a woman in her 20s who was first diagnosed with diabetes when she fell into a coma.

Here, communicable diseases [such as malaria and diarrhoea] are no longer a problem, says Dr Philbert Munyemana, clinical lead for Mahama 2 health centre. Weve got a good water supply and prevention and management is going well. Now, we are seeing more non-communicable diseases; they are a priority.

The human toll of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is huge and rising. These illnesses end the lives of approximately 41 million of the 56 million people who die every year and three quarters of them are in the developing world.

NCDs are simply that; unlike, say, a virus, you cant catch them. Instead, they are caused by a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioural factors. The main types are cancers, chronic respiratory illnesses, diabetes and cardiovascular disease heart attacks and stroke. Approximately 80% are preventable, and all are on the rise, spreading inexorably around the world as ageing populations and lifestyles pushed by economic growth and urbanisation make being unhealthy a global phenomenon.

NCDs, once seen as illnesses of the wealthy, now have a grip on the poor. Disease, disability and death are perfectly designed to create and widen inequality and being poor makes it less likely you will be diagnosed accurately or treated.

Investment in tackling these common and chronic conditions that kill 71% of us is incredibly low, while the cost to families, economies and communities is staggeringly high.

In low-income countries NCDs typically slow and debilitating illnesses are seeing a fraction of the money needed being invested or donated. Attention remains focused on the threats from communicable diseases, yet cancer death rates have long sped past the death toll from malaria, TB and HIV/Aids combined.

'A common condition' is a new Guardian series reporting on NCDs in the developing world: their prevalence, the solutions, the causes and consequences, telling the stories of people living with these illnesses.

Tracy McVeigh, editor

Thank you for your feedback.

More than 1,200 patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are registered at the camps health centres, accounting for about 5% of the total caseload. Numbers are rising, however, with medical staff seeing new cases every month.

Dieudonne Yiweza, senior regional public health officer for the east and Horn of Africa at the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said NCDs, traditionally associated with older people living in more developed urban settings, are affecting people in refugee camps at a younger age.

Before, we said NCDs affect urban settings. Now, they are attacking refugee settings. Before, we could see they were affecting older adults and elderly people. Now, they are affecting children and young people. For refugees, this is a challenging situation, says Yiweza.

The conditions where refugees are living can accelerate the onset of, and aggravate, NCDs. Diabetes can lead to eye problems, and hypertension can bring on various complications, including stroke. Now, its very common [in the east and Horn of Africa region] to see people as young as 10 or 15 [having a] stroke, adds Yiweza. [NCDs are] affecting everyone.

Poor housing and a limited diet often lacking protein are contributing factors, as is trauma, he says.

NCDs make up seven of the worlds top 10 causes of death accounting for more deaths than HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, diarrhoea and all other communicable diseases combined. Without a strong primary healthcare system, NCDs often go unrecognised until they cause significant disability or premature death. They also make people more vulnerable to infectious disease.

Yiweza admits that NCDs are often overlooked in refugee settings. We dont have people trained to manage NCDs with limited resources, he says. It was this gap in care that prompted him to set up a programme to tackle the diseases in refugee camps across east Africa.

Mahama refugee camp lies an hours drive along an unpaved road from the nearest settlement in the east of Rwanda. It is home to 58,000 of the countrys 127,000 refugees, most of whom fled conflict in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Some people have lived in Rwandan camps for 28 years while the most recent arrivals have been there for seven, unable to return home.

On a recent, highly controlled visit to Mahama, the Guardian was forbidden from talking to refugees by camp authorities, or seeing where they live, and only allowed to go to the camps two health centres, one run by Save the Children, the other by non-profit Alight. Both have dedicated NCD programmes that started in 2017 and 2018.

The health centres conduct screening in the community at least four times a year. This involves testing blood pressure and blood sugar levels to check for hypertension and diabetes. Last year, screening for cervical and breast cancer the two cancers that most affect women in Rwanda started in the camp. In the two sessions so far, staff screened 285 people and found seven women with breast cancer, one woman who had developed signs of cervical cancer, and 25 women with precancerous conditions of the cervix.

Teams of community health workers monitor people diagnosed with NCDs, sharing information about diet, and checking they take any medication prescribed. They also encourage others to attend screening sessions.

Liliose Mukankuranga, community health supervisor, says some of her patients do not eat enough. One problem is nutrition, she says. These people dont have anything. They are sick but theres no support and they have nothing to eat.

People living with NCDs in camps are entitled to the maximum amount of financial assistance available from the World Food Programme 7,000 Rwandan francs (5.63) a month.

I dont think one can make ends meet with that, says Dr Zz Beauvogui, public health officer at UNHCR. We know that is not enough. Refugees would like better but if thats what is available, that is what they can get.

Beauvogui faces difficult decisions over who gets care and treatment if complications arise.

Five people with renal failure a complication of hypertension have been relocated to Kigali so that they can have dialysis three times a week. Each session costs 208. Kidney transplants are not available in Rwanda so the only option for them is resettlement in another country, which UNHCR can help apply for. But compatibility tests for a donor a condition of resettlement cost 1.6m Rwandan francs each. Can you imagine how many malaria cases you can treat with that? says Beauvogui. The [UNHCR] budget is going down while the need is going up. You see the difficult decisions I am faced with.

From behind his desk in his air-conditioned office at the entrance to Mahama, Andr Vuganeza, the camp manager, says: I think the NCDs, its not a big issue in our community. We have other problems. For us malaria is more serious than NCDs.

Even if you see the numbers, if you see people with NCDs, they are above 45.

Doctors see it differently. Dr Benoit Ndagijimana, medical officer at Mahama 1 health centre, says: Our community needs to be aware of NCDs. There is a problem We have been seeing rising cases in terms of numbers. The root cause is that people may not be aware of the causes of NCDs. What is serious is that they are silent. You can live with hypertension unknowingly while it is causing complications.

When people develop complications, they cannot afford care on their own. The interventions are very expensive. We need to be here raising awareness, starting treatment early to prevent complications.

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Diabetes and high blood pressure: why are urban diseases affecting refugees? - The Guardian

When a doctor diagnoses insulin-dependent diabetes, you will quickly learn that precise carbohydrate counting and correct insulin dosing for meals and higher blood sugars are both key to effective diabetes management.

But terms like insulin to carbohydrate ratio and correction factor can get confusing, especially if youre newly diagnosed with the condition.

This article will explain how insulin works when eating food and how to dose insulin to keep blood sugars in range.

All humans need insulin to live. It helps digest the glucose (sugar) contained in most foods, particularly:

All carbs are processed into glucose thats eventually converted into energy that fuels the brain and body.

As that sugar moves from the bloodstream into cells, it makes your blood sugar levels rise.

In people without diabetes, the body automatically adjusts for this cycle on a natural autopilot.

For people with diabetes, the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas dont make insulin the same way they do in those without the condition. That means people with diabetes must address that insulin functionality for regulating glucose levels themselves.

People with type 2 diabetes (T2D) may not require insulin treatment because lifestyle changes can manage the condition.

That is not the case for type 1 diabetes (T1D). T1D is an autoimmune condition. People with T1D require insulin treatment by injection or with a diabetes device because their bodies dont make it on their own.

People using insulin pumps rely solely on rapid-acting insulin for both their bolus insulin and basal insulin. The insulin pump releases a very small amount of insulin in constant increments throughout the day, mimicking a human pancreas.

People who dont use an insulin pump may be injecting insulin multiple times a day. That might mean they take one or two long-acting insulin injections per day, whether thats with a vial and syringe or a plastic prefilled insulin pen.

This is in addition to their rapid-acting insulin, which can also be taken in the form of a syringe and vial or with an insulin pen.

An insulin-to-carb (I:C) ratio is the amount of rapid-acting insulin required to essentially cover the number of carbs a person eats or drinks.

While many people tend to focus on calories when discussing food labels and nutritional information, those who live with diabetes and require insulin often look first at the carb counts on nutrition labels.

Everyones I:C ratio varies. This is because everyones diabetes is different. But as an example, an I:C ratio may look something like this:

Always talk with your diabetes care team about what your goal blood sugar range should be. Those healthcare professionals can help you figure out your ideal I:C ratio based on many factors, including your:

Simply calculating your I:C ratio for a meal doesnt take into account your insulin correction factor. This figure is how much 1 unit of rapid-acting acting insulin will lower your blood sugar.

For example, if you are dosing insulin for a particular carb amount, youd want to take less insulin for those carbs if youre having a blood sugar lower than 70 mg/dL.

You would also need additional insulin beyond the I:C ratio if you have a higher blood sugar at the time.

Correction factors are just like I:C ratios in that they can vary individually and even depending on the time of day. This is all part of the discussion with your diabetes care team to determine what might be the best rates for your needs.

To figure out a rough estimate of your I:C ratio, divide the number 500 by your total daily dose (TDD) of insulin, which includes both long-acting and rapid-acting insulin. This is known as the 500 rule.

To roughly calculate your correction factor, take the number 1,800 and divide that by your TDD. This is known as the 1,800 rule.

Remember, always work with your care team to finely tune both your I:C ratio and correction factor.

Most insulin pumps now do this math automatically when recommending a bolus of insulin. However, for people taking multiple daily injections, calculating these figures manually is required for all meals, snacks, and drinks.

Both insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio and correction factor are important tools to have in your diabetes tool belt. They can help you better manage your diabetes and blood sugar levels so you feel better.

Insulin-to-carb ratio and correction factor can change over time. They depend on many elements, including lifestyle, diet, life circumstances, weight, sex, age, and health goals.

Always work with your doctor and care team to determine your most appropriate insulin-to-carb ratio and correction factor.

Original post:
How to Dose Insulin for Carb Ratios and Corrections - Healthline

Hyderabad: The central government has a plan to reduce the prices of long term medicines particularly used for heart diabetes and cancer.The reductions are likely to be announced on August 15.

According to sources, the central government initiative is likely to give relief to diabetes, cancer, and heart patients.

Currently, the number of medicines prices of which have been fixed is 355 and soon the new medicines shall be added to the list.

The central government is consulting the officials and medical experts to review which medicines are popularly prescribed by doctors for treating diabetes, cancer, and heart diseases.

The government is planning to increase the number of medicines stated in the list of 2015.

The central government is in favor of reducing the prices of such popular medicines with immediate effect.

Instructions were issued to keep the list ready by the beginning of the next month in order not to have any hurdles in the announcement of the new list on August 15.

Continued here:
Plan to slash prices of heart, diabetes and cancer medicines - The Siasat Daily

The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Tuberculosis Programme in collaboration with the Noncommunicable Diseases Department has initiated a process to review the evidence on TB and diabetes and the related interventions to address the joint burden of TB and diabetes.

In 2011, WHO and the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease published the Collaborative framework for care and control of tuberculosis and diabetes, which contains recommendations on the collaborative management of TB and diabetes. This framework has helped to kick-start collaborative action on TB and diabetes but there are still challenges in implementation and scale-up. WHO will therefore be developing an operational handbook to support countries in the implementation of current WHO recommendations and collaborative activities on TB and diabetes.

To inform the operational handbook, WHO is seeking expressions of interest from academic institutions or other entities with relevant expertise and experience in systematic reviews, synthesis and quality assessment of the available data (following the GRADE framework and in line with Handbook on guideline development, 2nd edition), summarize the results, and write a descriptive report detailing the methods and findings of the reviews. The candidate entity should be able to work independently as well as interact regularly and collaboratively with the WHO Global TB Programme team and NCD Department as well as other technical experts as required. Please review theterms of referencefor details of the work and requirements.

Please submit to the WHO Global TB Programme an expression of interest letter specifying details on the relevant capacity and experience of the candidates in similar type of work on systematic reviews and meta-analyses, together with the resumes of persons to be involved.

Please send your submissions to the WHO Global TB Programme at[emailprotected]and [emailprotected] by close of business on 11thAugust 2022. The expressions of interest received will go through a review process and the selected candidates will be notified on completion of the review process. The selected candidates will be required to develop a proposal for the evidence summary to be conducted along with details of a budget estimate to be submitted to the WHO Global TB Programme.

Read more here:
Call for expressions of interest: Expert(s) to conduct systematic literature reviews of the evidence on tuberculosis and diabetes - World Health...

Police Thursday sought the public's help in locating a 63-year-old man who was last seen in the Covina area.

Antonio Ortega, who authorities say is diabetic, suffers from dementia and is 80% blind, was last seen at 12:40 a.m. Wednesday on the 21000 block of East Covina Boulevard.

Ortega is described as a Latino man who is 5 feet, 6 inches tall, and weighs 200 pounds. He has brown eyes and gray hair. and was last seen wearing a blue shirt, blue shorts and black sandals.

Authorities say Ortega is dependent on medication.

Anyone with information about Ortega or knows of his whereabouts was asked to call the Sheriff's Missing Persons Unit at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be called into Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at lacrimestoppers.org.

The CBS LA Staff is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on CBSLA.com.

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Man with diabetes and dementia reported missing from Covina - CBS Los Angeles