Old Age Diabetics Need Great Care And Caution

Old age people are more prone to develop diabetes. Especially, due to over weight and lack of mobility they fall prey to type 2 diabetes mellitus. Glucose intolerance is a common occurrence among old age folks. Most often its difficult to identify symptoms of the disease in old people. However, it gets identified other conditions like cardiovascular disease and other conditions.

Basic care for disease is the same as for all age people but old people have far greater chances of developing complications. Non ketotic hyperosmolar coma is a common occurence among diabetics of old age and the patient often dies of it. Biggest problem with old age people is the slow rate of weight reduction as they can't go for rigorous exercises. Since, exercise doesn't give good results, meal planning becomes more important for normalizing blood pressure and blood sugar level.

Certain medicines are also not given to old age diabetics as it may harm them. For example, Metformin is not given as it gives way to acidosis. Most often old people posses undiagnosed diabetes and it comes in to light only with severe complications like neuropathic foot lesions. So, old age people and particularly diabetics of that age must take good care of their foot.

Elderly diabetics are vulnerable to complications like neuropathy, nephropathy, vascular disease and hypertension. So, a very restricted life from the point of view of medication and meal along with constant monitoring of blood glucose is must for them.


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