Diabetes, Things you need to know

0 Is it common to get diabetes after 70 years? Anyone can get diabetes at any age. In general, in young people it is known as Type 1 diabetes and in adults, it is known as Type 2 diabetes. Do these patients need to follow the same HbA1c values at 80 years or can they relax on general values? HbA1c gives three months’ average of blood sugar levels. In senior citizens, the general values don’t apply. The target HbA1c varies from individual to individual, depending on their functionality and associated longterm medical conditions. Do we start on anti-diabetic medication immediately? Depends on the blood sugar levels. Overall, lifestyle modifications like diet advice, exercise, weight reduction and sleep issues need to be addressed. They need to be monitored closely. If there’s a rise in sugar levels and no improvement over a period, then it is advisable to go onan anti-diabetic medication. Do diabetic medications need to be taken after food? Most of medicines should be taken after food. Some formulations of insulin and some medicines should be taken before food. Do adults have a higher risk of hypoglycaemia? Senior citizens comparably have a higher risk of hypoglycaemia due to various factors like altered metabolism of medicines, reduced food intake, etc. How do senior citizens follow diet advice when alone at home? Upon consultation with a dietician, simple food can be prepared or made available. The proportion of vegetables and fruits in your diet can be increased. Sometimes, senior citizens don’t remember whether a dose has been taken. What’s your advice? This is a common occurrence with people in old age. Forgetting one of two doses of medicines (except insulin in a few patients) is okay. Senior citizens are advised to use labelled pill boxes to ensure the doses of medicines are periodically taken. It will also help prevent the risk ofoverdosing on these medicines.. In case of overdose, what will be the immediate symptoms? Overdosing varies with formulations. Commonest of all will be low sugar levels, giddiness, confusion, falls, racing of heart, etc. In such cases, it is advisable to visit the nearest hospital. How often should they monitor their blood sugar levels? In senior citizens with uncontrolled sugar levels, it is prudent to follow the physician’s advice. Otherwise, monitoring sugar levels twice or thrice a week should be perfectly fine. Apart from these, it is imperative to follow up on any recommended tests by your doctor. What is the risk of high sugar levels in adults? Sometimes, senior citizens do get high sugar levels due to non-adherence to the recommended treatment, defaulting to take the pills, and sometimes due to infections, pain, sleeplessness, etc. For long-term patients with a diabetic condition, when they become aged, what is the advice on lifestyle? To follow the same lifestyle and check for complications like vision, kidney function, nerve disease like tingling, numbness, stomach problems, etc. What is the geriatric advice for diabetes? Diabetes is a lifestyle disease, and it can be managed and treated. This can be done through lifestyle changes along with medicines. Remission is possible when the age is well-advanced like people (85+ years) due to various changes in physiology. Research showed remission in the very select types of people, though 45% of the population relapsed within a year. Some of them needed insulin for initial control. If you have any queries regarding the treatment or medicines, kindly contact your doctor. Kindly follow the medical advice given. Dr. Manicka Saravanan S, Consultant Geriatric Medicine, Kauvery Hospital, Chennai helps you with everything you should know about diabetes