Can Diabetes Risk Reduce In HIV Patients?

Diabetes involves an increase in the level of blood glucose or blood sugar in the body. Glucose is the main source of energy that comes from the food we eat. Insulin is a hormone may help the body to utilize glucose from the blood any problem in insulin production or action may lead to diabetes. Diabetes may cause certain health problems such as heart, blood vessels, stroke or kidney disease. Luckily, we can control diabetes by maintaining a healthy life, performing some exercise and taking certain medicines that may reduce the diabetes risk. Diabetes is of two types: • Type 1 diabetes: It may develop due to the deficiency of insulin which causes the glucose to build up in blood. • Type 2 diabetes: It may develop cause due to insulin resistance in the body.rnSome common risk factors that may increase the development of diabetes include: • Age over 45 years • Family history of diabetesrn• Obesityrn• Sedentary lifestyle • High blood pressurern• Alcohol addictionrn• Using certain medicine such as steroidsrnCommon symptoms of diabetes include: • Frequent urinationrn• Extreme hungerrn• Blurred vision • Unusual weight loss or weight gainrn• Slow healing of injuries such as cut or bruisesrn• Frequent infections rnHIV and DiabetesrnIn HIV patients, there is greater chance of developing diabetes- firstly, due to the disease condition itself, and secondly due to the medications. Certain medicines such as nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) and protease inhibitor (PI) which may increase blood glucose level and may result in type 2 diabetes. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test is used to measure the amount of glucose in blood after the person had fasted for 8 hours. This test is one of the diagnostic tests to diagnose diabetes. Some tips that may help HIV patient to reduce the risk of diabetes are as follows: • Before starting any HIV medication, the patient should check their blood glucose levels. • Consult the doctors if you have a higher level of glucose than normal.rno Individuals should keep a check on glucose level by blood glucose testing after using HIV medicines. The doctors may prescribe other medicine if testing has shown a change in glucose level. A change in medication may be necessary in some patients.rnHIV patients could seek help from the health care provider by asking the link between diabetes and HIV medicines, about the risk of diabetes, and about the best testing option. Diabetes can be managed by: • Keeping the blood glucose level as near normal rangern• Controlling the blood pressurern• Keeping the blood cholesterol and lipid levels to normalrn• Lowering the diabetes-related health problemsrnTry maintaining a healthy diet by including lots of vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, and protein rich food such as lean meat.