Diabetes and Brain Health Flashcards
What is diabetes?
A group of chronic diseases which are characterised by having too much blood glucose (sugar) - hyperglycaemia
List a few symptoms of diabetes.
- Excessive thirst
- Frequent urination
- Extreme fatigue
Why is diabetes important?
- Without treatment, high blood sugar over time can lead to serious damage to blood vessels.
- Costly to health systems
- 1 in 10 adults have it
What can microvascular (small blood vessel) disease lead to?
- Retinopathy
- Nephropathy
- Neuropathy
What can macrovascular (large blood vessel) disease lead to?
- Stroke
- Cardiovascular disease
How much of the NHS budget goes toward diabetes?
10%
What is Type 1 Diabetes and how is it controlled?
Body produces little or no insulin and is controlled with exogenous insulin.
What is Type 2 Diabetes and how is it controlled?
Body has ineffective use of insulin – resistance or not enough production and is controlled with diet/oral medication to help stimulate insulin.
Which type of diabetes is more common?
Type 2
What is insulin?
Hormone that allows glucose in blood to enter cells to be used as energy
Why is insulin important?
Allows the body to maintain healthy blood glucose levels
How do we measure blood glucose levels?
- Taking urine samples
- Blood tests (more accurate than urine)
- Snapshot of glucose levels (e.g. finger pricking)
- Average blood sugar level over period of time (HbA1c)
How does finger pricking work?
- Snapshot of your blood sugar levels at a particular time everyday with a glucometer.
- Important to consider levels around food time
What is the glycated haemoglobin test (HbA1c)?
The test measures % blood sugar attached to Hb.
What does a high HbA1c mean?
A high HbA1c means you have too much sugar in your blood and thresholds have been set to indicate spectrum of diabetes.
What are the advantages of testing blood glucose levels with HbA1c?
- Doesn’t require fasting because it binds to red blood cells which are active for around 2-3 months, so indicates your average blood sugar level for the past 2-3 months
- Gives a good target for health care professionals to work towards
What improvements have occurred in glucose monitoring?
Newer continuous glucose monitors (e.g. flash skin sensors) can continuously monitor glucose levels.
How is Type 1 diabetes controlled?
Through long and short acting insulin pump or injections based on glucose levels/activity.
How is Type 2 diabetes controlled?
- Lifestyle modification (e.g. healthy diet and exercise can help to improve insensitivities)
- Drugs to help stimulate more insulin receptors (Metformin)
How many adults are undiagnosed with diabetes?
1 in 2 adults with diabetes are undiagnosed.
Why have intermediate states of hyperglycaemia such as prediabetes been defined?
T2D can go undiagnosed for many years as hyperglycaemia develops gradually.
What are the HbA1c measurements for diabetes and prediabetes?
Diabetes = HbA1c ≥ 6.5%
Prediabetes = HbA1c 5.7-6.4%
List non-modifiable risk factors for T2D.
Age, gender, ethnicity & history of gestational diabetes.
List modifiable risk factors for T2D.
Obesity, physical inactivity & smoking.
List treatable risk factors for T2D.
Hypertension, pre-diabetes
How does obesity affect diabetes?
According to the NHS, a 5% reduction in body weight followed up by regular moderate intensity exercise could reduce your type 2 diabetes risk by more than50%.
How is physical activity associated with diabetes?
Inverse association = greater activity associated with reduced risk.
How do we measure brain performance?
Through cognitive tests
How do we study the inside of the brain?
Through MRI scans
What is the correlation between brain volume and brain damage?
Reduced volume shows increased brain damage.
