Arushi Bidhuri
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Written By: Arushi Bidhuri | Updated : June 29, 2022 11:17 AM IST
Diabetes is a condition in which your body is unable to utilise insulin, create enough insulin, or both. Blood sugar levels rise in people with diabetes. Without timely intervention, complications may arise which could be life-threatening. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, men are twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes. With the growing concern that type 2 diabetes is becoming more common in men, it's crucial to understand the potential complications of diabetes and how to avoid them if you already have the disease or are at risk of getting it.
We asked Dr Lovelena Munawar, Consultant, Dr Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre to help us understand the common complications that affect young and elderly men, and the reasons causing them.
Dr Munawar: Diabetes complication is a common problem when sugars are not under control. There are many factors that can contribute to diabetes complications in young and old men. The most common complications of diabetes include:
Diabetes in young people:
Dr Munawar: Until recently, the most common form of diabetes in young people was type 1 diabetes. But now type 2 diabetes, previously considered a disorder of people of middle age or elderly, is increasingly being reported, and now it is also reported among young people. This trend started to change because of the epidemic of childhood obesity.
Type 1 Diabetes is caused by the gradual destruction of -cells. It is most common in children and adolescents. Children with diabetes face both acute and chronic complications. These contribute to increased mortality and morbidity rates. Type 2 diabetes is uncommon for children under 10 years of age. In stage one of type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance often occurs, due to obesity. Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) and neonatal diabetes are a few rare kinds of diabetes. Problem with an insulin-producing gene is the basic cause. Diabetes complications and insulin resistance-related conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, albuminuria, and polycystic ovarian disease are also more common in children with type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes in elderly men:
Dr Munawar: Patients may be showing signs of dehydration, dry eyes, dry mouth, confusion, incontinence, and nephropathy as well. Older patients often present with different signs and symptoms of diabetes. Hence, it's important to recognize them. In older people, complications such as neuropathy or nephropathy could result in symptoms like blood glucose levels being out of range, dehydration, dry eyes and mouth, confusion, and incontinence. Studies have shown that individuals with diabetes are more likely to suffer from hypertension, dyslipidemia, and dementia. Diabetes can affect the elderly population even more, as they may also suffer from depression, decline and cognitive dysfunction.
Common Barriers: Many older diabetes patients often have problems that can affect their care. These patients might not eat. they may be unable to afford medications or food, or forget to take their medicine. For elderly people with dental problems, this can limit what foods they can eat. They will also find it hard to check blood glucose or inject insulin.
Dr Munawar suggests:
