Type 2 diabetes can be a 'devastating diagnosis' says expert
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Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition whereby the body cannot produce enough insulin or the insulin it does produce is not sufficiently processed by the cells. While this may seem harmless, insulin is tasked with regulating blood sugar – the main sugar found in blood. It is vital to maintain a delicate balance of blood sugar as uncontrolled rising glucose is known to affect the skin and cause a variety of skin diseases.
In fact, a latest study has found 47 different types of skin diseases caused by high blood sugar.
The association between the occurrence of skin diseases and diabetic condition, as shown in several clinical studies, highlights the importance of consistent efforts to track the cutaneous complications of type 2 diabetes.
A group of researchers from China and the United States examined 30 years’ worth of data to compare skin diseases in diabetic and non-diabetic Chinese adults.
The study, published in Chinese Medical Journal, provides insights which are likely to help in the clinical management of skin problems associated with type 2 diabetes.
The study identified people with impaired glucose tolerance — a pre-diabetic condition — and randomly divided them into groups to receive lifestyle interventions designed to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.
Professor Guang-Wei Cui who led the study said: “We looked into the initial data of 1,986 people, grouped into individuals with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and patients with type 2 diabetes.
“Then, we studied the follow-up data of these individuals and shortlisted 383 individuals using the 2016 data to study the occurrences of skin diseases.”
The study found that 93.5 percent of the individuals had skin problems.
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The percentage indicated an overall high prevalence of skin disease and included more than three-quarters of subjects with two or more kinds of skin diseases.
It also found a total of 47 types of co-morbid skin diseases were present in individuals with type 2 diabetes, and eight kinds of skin diseases occurred with prevalence of 10 percent.
Disturbances of pigmentation were higher among male than female participants.
Like several other co-morbidities such as cardiovascular events, vascular lesions, or depression, the prevalence of both “disturbances of pigmentation” and “neurological and psychogenic dermatoses” was significantly associated with the duration of type 2 diabetes.
“Considering that blood glucose level and insulin play regulatory roles in keratin assembly and skin cell proliferation, our study reinstates the need of raising awareness among the primary care physicians and the patients about the careful dermatological examination as a part of T2DM management,” concluded Professor Cui.
A few skin ailments commonly associated with type 2 diabetes include:
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Diabetic bullae
- Diabetic stiff skin
- Foot ulcers
- Necrobiosis lipoidica
- Reactive perforating collagenosis
- Kyrle disease
- Scleroedema
- Granuloma annulare
- Eruptive xanthoma
- Skin tags
- Xanthelasma
- Acanthosis nigricans
- Pruritus
- Cutaneous dysaesthesia.
How to lower high blood sugar levels to reduce risk and prevent skin infections
The NHS recommend exercising more often to help lower blood sugar levels.
This might involve going for a brisk 30-minute walk daily, which can be extremely helpful in preventing further health complications.
The national health body also advises to “drink plenty of sugar-free fluids”, such as water.
You also need to be mindful of what you eat, avoiding foods that can cause blood sugar levels to spike, such as cakes.
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