Type 2 Diabetes - Chronic Eye Complications of Uncontrolled Diabetes!

Type 2 diabetes is a continuously increasing burden to the government and to society. As stated by the National Diabetes Statistics, 1.6 million new cases of Type 2 diabetes were discovered and diagnosed in the United States in 2007 and this prevalence rate is continuously and exponentially growing every year.

Do you ever wonder why your doctor is so keen for you to control your blood sugar? You see, uncontrolled diabetes may result in multiple, yet preventable types of chronic complications. As mentioned in an article published by the Centers for Disease Control, early diagnosis and the application of available measures is a must to reduce the incidence and the severity of these chronic complications.

Diabetes is the most common cause of blindness in the United States. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control, diabetics are twenty five times more prone to the development of eye problems compared to the general population.

There three most common eye complications of uncontrolled diabetes are:

1. Diabetic retinopathy: Diabetic retinopathy is an eye problem in diabetics that affects the nerve-containing tissue of the eye. It is one of the leading causes of blindness among American adults each year. Believe it or not, the lifetime prevalence of this eye problem in diabetics is seventy percent. As mentioned again by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), diabetic retinopathy is almost always asymptomatic during its treatable stages. And so, if you happen to have Type 2 diabetes, the most reasonable way to prevent this eye problem from occurring is to regularly check with your opthalmologist.

2. Cataracts: As stated by CDC, diabetics are 1.6 times more prone to develop cataract in one or both eyes compared to those who do not have diabetes, Type 1 or Type 2. Diabetics most commonly acquire snowflake cataracts which usually resolve with good blood sugar control. However, there are those that develop persistent cataracts who need to undergo cataract extraction to restore their vision. In most cases, cataract extraction can restore ninety to ninety-five percent of the normal vision.

3. Glaucoma: Glaucoma is a problem caused by the increased pressure within your eye. There are two types of glaucoma seen in diabetics:

the open-angle glaucoma, the most common form of glaucoma in the diabetic population, andthe neovascular glaucoma, the more severe kind of glaucoma that usually occurs concomitantly with diabetic retinopathy

Early diagnosis and emergency surgery are the most needed medical interventions to save your eye from the full development of this problem.

Regular eye check-ups and good blood sugar control are the cornerstone for proper eye care in people with diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. The more you control your blood sugar the lesser your chances in developing these eye problems.

To discover answers to questions you may be asking yourself about Type 2 Diabetes, click on this link... Natural Diabetes Treatments

Clicking on this link will help you to learn more about Type 2 Diabetes Solutions... Beverleigh Piepers RN... the Diabetes Detective.

Beverleigh Piepers is the author of this article. This article can be used for reprint on your website provided all the links in the article are complete and active. Copyright (c) 2010 - All Rights Reserved Worldwide

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Chronic Disease Management Registry

Management of chronic health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, hypothyroidism, and heart disease is a major part of most primary care physician's work. In the traditional model the physician sees a patient for an episode of care, assesses the status of the conditions, makes suggestions, adjusts medications, and orders any indicated testing. The patient is advised of the time when they are asked to return for followup care.

For years the best practices have been using a means of monitoring some or all of their patients with certain chronic medical problems by means of a disease registry. In this model of care all of the patients with a problem, for example diabetes, are listed in a data base, either a paper filing cabinet, or a digital data base. In the data base certain details of the patients status are recorded. For example in a diabetes data base the information might be the last Hemoglobin A1C value and date, the last blood pressure, the last LDL cholesterol, the date of the last dilated eye exam, the last diabetic foot exam, the last test for kidney damage, and their smoking status.

Keeping the data base required entry of this data into the registry every time a new piece of data was obtained, and having a means of periodically looking for patients who were past due for certain services.

Use of an electronic medical record which stores granular pieces of information in a way that can be retrieved electronically, intentionally entering the information into the EMR in a way that it can be retrieved, and developing a report or system for creating a virtual disease management registry has allowed progressive physicians and practices to much more efficiently and effectively manage groups of patients with selected chronic medical problems proactively.

In these offices if a patient is due a visit for followup care, or is past due for any type of testing or service, they can be more easily and efficiently discovered, contacted, and encouraged to receive the optimal care. Ask your physician if they have a disease management registry to help them provide optimal care for your medical condition.

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Diabetes: A Chronic Disease

ByMelisa FerhatovicArticle Word Count: 470[View Summary]Comments (0)

A study from The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse has estimated that 23.6 million Americans, varying in age, have diabetes. Diabetes has been said to be the fastest growing disease in the history of America. What exactly is diabetes? Diabetes mellitus is a disease distinguished by continued levels of sugar in the blood. Glucose is the sugar that would be at a high level. High blood glucose levels, also known as hyperglycemia, can lead to many different types of health problems and even death.

In a healthy person glucose enters the bloodstream through the digestive tract becoming available to all cells of the body. Glucose has to get inside the cells, but it cannot just cross the cell membrane on its own. This is where the pancreas comes in. Anytime glucose enters the bloodstream, the pancreas emits a hormone knows as insulin. This hormone activates pancreatic cells and allows them to take the glucose from the bloodstream into the cells of the body. After glucose is present in the cell, it is used for energy or changed to glycogen or fat and stored in the body. Doing this lowers the blood glucose levels and the pancreas stops emitting insulin until another surge of glucose enters the bloodstream.

There are two types of diabetes, type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is also known as juvenile diabetes. This form usually appears during childhood or pre-adulthood, but it can begin at any age. In type 1 diabetes glucose enters the bloodstream just like it does in a healthy person. The problem is the pancreas. In type 1 diabetes the cells in the pancreas produce too little or no insulin at all because the cells have been destroyed by the immune system. People with type 1 diabetes must inject or infuse insulin themselves. They also must keep an eye on their diet and how much they exercise.

Type 2 diabetes develops slowly in a seemingly healthy individual. It is known to appear after the age of 40, but now it is being diagnosed in teens and even children. In type 2 diabetes, once again, glucose enters the bloodstream just like it would in a healthy person. The problem is the pancreas. The cells in the pancreas do produce enough insulin; it is just that the insulin is pretty much worthless. The good thing with type 2 diabetes is the fact that you can alter your lifestyle factors, like your weight and your diet, to improve blood glucose levels. Exercising a lot and building up muscle improves the secretion of insulin from the pancreas into the cells of the body.

Call your health care provider if you feel like you're at risk for diabetes and make an appointment for a screening. You never know, that phone call could change your life!

For more information on family health and nutrition topics visit http://myfamilyplate.com.

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