COVID-19 AND DIABETES
COVID-19 AND DIABETES
As we all know how drastic effect has been caused by the novel coronavirus
Today we are going to discuss about the about the COVID with the diabetes the various factors such as follows:-
- Higher Risk?
- Symptoms?
- Extra Precautions?
- Dietary Changes?
- Go out for walk?
- Grocery Shopping?
I hope by the end of this article you will come away with more information and practical knowledge
Are diabetics more prone to COVID-19?
In the present situation there no such clinical data which suggest higher risk of acquiring the disease obviously if there are elderly people who have got uncontrolled diabetes or other commodities the risk may be higher but otherwise in vast majority of stable young population with diabetes is unlikely to be at higher risk however its very pertinent to point out that if a person with diabetes specially with those with uncontrolled sugar does acquire the disease, the course of the disease in them tends to be more severe and the outcomes also tend to be more adverse therefore saying that they will require more aggressive care, they may require ventilatory support, they have a higher chance of mortality then somebody who doesn't have these problems is also a reality of the situation.
What precautions should a diabetic take?
They should take exactly the same precaution as advised to covid patients and obviously exercising as much care and stringency as much as everyone is advised and this is critical to understand that the maximum transmission is going through touch and the repeated instruction of therefore keeping your hands clean as much as possible and even when they clean avoiding any touch on the face because we have three potential entry points the nose, the mouth and the eyes and therefore keep your face keep your hands clean and avoid taking your hands near your face.
Can diabetics go out for walk or grocery shopping?
At the moment social distancing by in large means minimising the likelihood of an aerosol actually landing on you and the second thing of course is the more you are out the more you are touching things hence the difficulty in keeping hands clean and preventing an unconscious or a subconscious touch of the face by your own hand that's something which has to he avoided. You go at the moment there is no recommendation that you discontinue your walks there is no recommendation that you totally stop essential shopping however as and when there are option which are equally effective and logistically simple the same can be done, you can possibly if you have a treadmill at home and you have the option between tread milling at home and going out for a walk possibly people will say the treadmill may be a better option at this point of time.
COVID-19 risk in Type 1 vs Type 2 diabetes?
As of now there are no data which says that people with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes are more or less likely to have severe disease compared to one another however i think the underlying crux will be how to what extent are these disease is that you know glucose control out of control because uncontrolled diabetes really does contribute to your poor immunity poor function of the cells of the immune systems which can combat viruses.
What should diabetics do in case of COVID -19 suspicion?
Viruses testing strategy as of today these things can change depending on new details that you will be tested if you have either travel to one of the countries and there's a list which the government is provided or you have been in contact with an individual who has turned out to be positive for the disease if you follow if you fall in these two categories and you have symptoms of disease just like any other person you are expected to go and declare yourself testing and again there is a list of centers where your triage, there's a list of centers where samples can be collected and then there's a list of centers where the samples are sent for testing.
Are symptoms of COVID-19 different in diabetes?
So primary symptoms and people with over 19 whether you have diabetes or not are gonna be very similar because they are a manifestation of where the virus attacks and that's a predominantly a respiratory tract and the upper respiratory tract and then the lower respiratory tract but as i said earlier the likelihood of more severe disease and therefore more severe lower respiratory infection that is the likelihood of pneumonia more extensive pneumonia infection and impact on ventilation and therefore requiring support for ventilation may be intubation is more likely in people if they have diabetes which is either poorly control or they are several other comorbidities with that.
Dietary changes for COVID-19 prevention?
Again as of now there's no diet which is specifically advice. Its a respiratory virus it'll target your upper and lower respiratory tracts and there are no clear sort of data that a particular food stuff is going to boost your immunity specifically in the context of COVID-19.
Can diabetics eat food from outside?
If you see now the governmental advisory for this is to shutdown all eating places which are serving on site so you can order food but remember the person who is carrying the food may have maybe asymtomatic stage so if you touch that food or objects again washing your hands and ensuring that you have not inadvertently acquire infection from somebody handling the container the general precautions about hand cleanliness is very critical in terms of food you will inevitably you know take your hand near the face because you are going to put your food in the mouth and therefore all precautions to that effect must be clearly thought through.
Do anti hypertensive drugs increase risk of COVID 19?
So you know there's a theoretical argument which has been put forth based on prior knowledge , prior knowledge says that this virus enter cells through certain receptors which is called ACE-2 receptor and that this receptor may be is more accessible in people who are on the drugs which you mentioned namely ACE inhibitors (enalapril, ramipril) you know agents which often are ending with pril or angiotensin receptor blockers like Losartan, Telmisartan etc. Now this is theoretical possibility which has been put forth at the moment there are again no data which have demonstrated that people who were on these medication were independent of their underlying disease state so let the person with diabetes or heart disease who was on these medications so independent of their underlying heart or diabetes conditions , they are at higher or more risk. Therefore in this regard the currently updated recommendations from professional associations both in North America and in Europe whether there are hypertension guidelines or cardiology guidelines clearly indicates that of you are on these medications you can continue to remain on them until new data makes us shave that recommendations so please don't worry about these medications please continue to use them because controlling your health status your hypertension your heart risk with these medicines possibly outweighs any theoretical disadvantage which may ensue because of the up regulation of the receptor as has been reported.
Should diabetes patients stock their medicines?
So you need to do whatever required to keep your glucose and other parameters well under control if that requires insulin therapy you need to continue with that if that requires oral medications you need to continue to do that if you even become ill you need to continue your medication and follow what i call sick day guidelines which are generic for any person with diabetes who's ill in terms of frequent testing of sugars at home ensuring that your temperature stays down ensuring that you continue to get nutrition and if you are not taking solid nutrition liquid nutrition warm fluids so that you remain well hydrated so you need to follow all the signal guidelines even if you suspect yourself to have acquired an upper respiratory or a lower respiratory infection.
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