Diabetes is a prevalent disease in the elderly, and it can have severe complications in older people. These tips will help you better control your blood glucose index.
Diabetes is a disease whose increased prevalence getting to the elderly, although the trend of the twentieth century to bring a sedentary lifestyle coupled with excessive consumption of products rich in sugars and fats, is causing more and more children and young people with this pathology, specifically type II diabetes, diabetes is still considered a disease of the elderly, since the peak of incidence increases over the years.
Specifically, it is estimated that 15% of adults over 70 years of age suffer from this metabolic disease, a figure that increases to 20% when they are over 80 years of age, according to the World health organization (WHO).
It is common for it to appear in the elderly among people who have maintained inappropriate lifestyle habits for many years. There comes a time when the pancreas cannot secrete enough insulin to regulate glucose levels. However, a recent study carried out at the Salk Institute (United States) indicates that ageing itself is a cause of the onset of diabetes, even in healthy and active people.
Additional difficulties may include undiagnosed panic, social problems, limited daily means, and coexisting health dilemmas. Many old diabetic patients are predisposed to hypoglycemia.
Difficulties in managing diabetes in the elderly
People who have developed diabetes in youth or adulthood are fully familiar with the disease and know how to live with it. However, for those who are diagnosed in old age, when they have acquired inappropriate eating habits or lifestyles, or do not have the means and the ability to change them, it is more difficult to control the glycemic index (GI).
Adopting correct nutritional guidelines, staying active, and following the treatment and controls prescribed by the doctor, are the keys to managing the disease, but they can be difficult to comply with for an older person.
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To conduct the appropriate treatment for the elderly recently diagnosed with diabetes, their health status must also be taken into account and their family, economic and social situation, and physical and emotional state. For this reason, in these cases, it is very important that there is good communication with the healthcare professional, and it may be necessary for the elderly person to always be accompanied by another person to point out the guidelines to be followed.
Considering these factors, the medical practitioner will assess the most appropriate treatment to follow, since the administration of insulin, or the taking of different drugs, as therapeutic options, can be difficult to follow for an older person who lives alone.
Assessing the person’s situation, their age, and their general health, the objective and type of treatment may vary, but in any case, it will focus on avoiding acute glycemic decompensations, and the loss of functional capacities, through the option simpler therapy, but at the same time effective.