Gestational diabetes range

Written by Lin Xiang Dong
Endocrinology
Updated on September 04, 2024
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Gestational diabetes refers to abnormal blood sugar levels occurring during pregnancy. This term is used if the diagnosis is made during pregnancy, and does not include patients who were already diabetic before pregnancy, who are referred to as having diabetes concurrent with pregnancy. The criteria for diagnosing gestational diabetes are based on the results of the OGTT (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) conducted between 24-28 weeks of pregnancy. According to the OGTT results, a fasting blood sugar level ≥ 5.1 mmol/L, a one-hour blood sugar level ≥ 10.0 mmol/L, or a two-hour blood sugar level ≥8.5 mmol/L, meeting any one of these criteria confirms a diagnosis of gestational diabetes.

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Is there a difference between gestational diabetes and regular diabetes?

Gestational diabetes and common diabetes, although both types of diabetes, have significant differences between them. First, gestational diabetes is a disease specifically occurring during pregnancy and often only appears during the gestational period. After pregnancy, the majority of women will revert to a normal blood sugar state, so the main focus for gestational diabetes is on screening and intervention during pregnancy; Second, common diabetes is a chronic disease that accompanies an individual throughout their life, requiring long-term management of blood sugar through various methods. Therefore, the main difference between the two lies in the duration of the disease. Pregnant women with common diabetes, if they become pregnant, are referred to as having diabetes compounded by pregnancy, which also requires strict blood sugar management, but its mechanism of occurrence and principles of treatment differ from those of gestational diabetes.

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How to treat early-stage diabetes?

In the early stages of diabetes, when blood sugar levels are not very high, it can be controlled through diet and exercise. This can be achieved by losing weight, reducing calorie intake, and increasing calorie consumption through exercise to lower blood sugar levels. However, for some obese patients or those who cannot control their diet, medications can also be used in the early stages to prevent further increases in blood sugar levels. Currently, medications such as metformin and acarbose, which are both effective and relatively inexpensive, are mainly recommended. (Specific medications should be taken under the guidance of a physician.)

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Diabetic foot ulcer precursor

Diabetic foot, as we discuss in medical terms, refers to patients with a history of diabetes who, due to poor blood sugar control, experience various complications such as the narrowing of arteries in the lower limbs, insufficient blood and oxygen supply, and neuropathy, which results in insensitivity to temperature and pain, making them prone to burns or other injuries. Additionally, diabetic patients have compromised immune systems, making them susceptible to infections. When these three factors combine, it easily leads to diabetic foot, which is also the precursor to what is colloquially known as "rotten foot" in diabetes.

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Diabetes dietary taboo fruits

Many patients have a misconception after being diagnosed with diabetes; they think that fruits are sweet and they should avoid all fruits. This statement is half right—fruits are indeed sweet, but not all fruits are off-limits. Diabetes patients can still consume fruits, provided that they pay attention to the quantity and type of fruit they eat. First, let’s discuss the fruits that should not be eaten by diabetic patients, which are those high in simple sugars. Consuming these fruits can cause a rapid spike in blood sugar levels. Examples include dates, whether dry or fresh, longans, whether dry or fresh, lychees, whether dry or fresh, and bananas, which all have very high sugar content. These fruits are not recommended for diabetic patients; on the other hand, fruits like kiwis, cherries, kumquats, and grapefruits are generally suggested as suitable for diabetic patients.

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Written by Lin Xiang Dong
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What should diabetics pay attention to in their diet?

There is a general principle for the diet of diabetes, which is to pay attention to controlling the total daily caloric intake. The second principle is to have a balanced diet, and to be more specific, there are several points: The first one is to eat at fixed times and fixed amounts. Fixed times means having three meals a day at regular intervals, eating on schedule and paying attention not to have extra meals. Generally, the majority of diabetic patients should not eat less in more meals. Fixed amounts mean that the portion size of each meal should be roughly the same every day, not less today and more tomorrow. The third principle is to try to eat drier foods and avoid liquid foods, as liquid foods are easy to digest and absorb, causing blood sugar to rise quickly after meals. Therefore, these are some of the points that need attention in the diet for diabetes.