How does diabetes affect the family?

How does diabetes affect the family?

Poorly managed diabetes can lead to serious problems such as loss of eyesight, kidney disease, nerve damage, high blood pressure, heart disease, and more. Many family members express at least some level of anxiety regarding the wellbeing of their loved one living with diabetes.

How can I help my family with diabetes?

7 Ways You Can Help Someone Living with Type 2 Diabetes

1. Don’t nag!
2. Encourage healthy eating.
3. Attend a diabetes support group with them.
4. Offer to attend doctor appointments.
5. Be observant to drops in blood sugar.
6. Exercise together.
7. Be positive.

What are the chances of getting diabetes if it runs in the family?

Genetics and Lifestyle Play a Role “We know that if both parents have type 2 diabetes, there’s about a 50 percent risk that you and your siblings could have the genes passed on,” says Edward Hess, MD, an endocrinologist who leads the diabetes program at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana, California.

Can you get diabetes if your parents have it?

Diabetes is a hereditary disease, which means that the child is at high risk of developing diabetes compared to the general population at the given age. Diabetes can be inherited from either mother or father.

Can you avoid diabetes if it runs in your family?

Even if you have a family health history of diabetes, you can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes by eating healthier, being physically active, and maintaining or reaching a healthy weight. This is especially important if you have prediabetes, and taking these steps can reverse prediabetes.

How does diabetes affect someones life?

How does diabetes affect my body? When diabetes is not well controlled, the level of sugar in your blood goes up. High blood sugar can cause damage to many parts of your body, including your eyes, heart, feet, nerves, and kidneys. Diabetes can also cause high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries.

How can a diabetic person can live a normal life?

A person should learn as much as possible about the condition, follow their treatment plan, maintain an active lifestyle and healthful diet, refrain from smoking, and receive prompt treatment for complications, such as infections and cardiovascular disease.

What are the physical effects of diabetes if left untreated?

If type 2 diabetes goes untreated, the high blood sugar can affect various cells and organs in the body. Complications include kidney damage, often leading to dialysis, eye damage, which could result in blindness, or an increased risk for heart disease or stroke.

Can hereditary diabetes be prevented?

If you have a family history of type 2 diabetes, it may be difficult to figure out whether your diabetes is due to lifestyle factors or genetics. Most likely it is due to both. However, don’t lose heart! Studies show that it is possible to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes by exercising and losing weight.

What if both parents have diabetes?

If both parents have it, the odds could be as high as 1 in 4. 3. If the parent also has a condition called type 2 polyglandular autoimmune syndrome, their child’s chance of having type 1 diabetes would be 1 in 2.

What to do if diabetes runs in your family?

Whether diabetes runs in your family or you’ve had this condition for years, the power to normalize blood sugar and lower insulin lies within your control, beginning with these seven strategies Ask your doctor for the right tests. Ditch sugar. Supplement smartly. Chill out. Move more. Address your environment. Get enough sleep.

Does anyone in your family have diabetes?

Diabetes can occur in anyone. However, people who have close relatives with the disease are somewhat more likely to develop it. Other risk factors include obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and physical inactivity.

How does diabetes affect families?

One study showed that 63% of family members had anxiety about how the complications of diabetes would affect and change their lives. Common complications of diabetes that can really change a family’s life include: Eye problems leading to blindness. Kidney disease that can lead to needing dialysis.

Does diabetes run in your family?

Diabetes may run in the family. A healthy lifestyle can delay and even prevent diabetes, even if it is your family and you have inherited the ‘diabetic’ genes ( Lancet 09 ).