Dangerous is the combination of heat - humidity for people with diabetes _ either type 1 or type 2. However, many patients do not know or did not give the required importance, with the subsequent risk to experience episodes of hypoglycaemia, dehydration, heat stroke and other diseases related to the heat.
Diabetes mellitus is very common and its incidence is increasing. According to studies carried out in our country in the mid-1970s that people with diabetes was approximately 250,000, while in recent years have surpassed 800,000.
Nationwide Study of Medical Schools of the Aristotle University and the Universities of Ioannina and Crete made the biennium 2003 - 2004 to 9669 men and women aged 28-64 years showed that 10% had diabetes mellitus.
Another study known as the _ ATTICA made by the First Cardiology Clinic, University of Athens more than 3,000 volunteers aged 18 years and over _ shows that the number of patients increased by 1% per year, suggesting that very soon the patients our country will be more than 1 million.
All these people should know that heat and humidity can cause them serious problems _ and not just when the mercury ’red rings’ and enter a heatwave, but at temperatures ... 27 degrees Celsius and more! And, because not only affected the body from high temperatures and high humidity, but also affected by medications, blood glucose strips, including meters and pumps!
Decreased sweating
As explained by the physician John Ioannidis, head of Diabetes Surgery & Obesity Surgery in Konstantopoulio Hospital Nea Ionia, heat is the source of stress for the body and can raise blood sugar, while in diabetics are often disturbed the system for regulating body temperature in all people have.
The cause of this deregulation is damage to the autonomic nervous system, affecting among others the sweat glands. The sweat glands have a role to maintain the normal body temperature by producing sweat on the skin which evaporates and thus cools the body. This dysfunction means a reduction of natural cooling, thus increasing the risk of heatstroke. Where, indeed, the heat is accompanied by increased humidity environment, evaporation of sweat even more difficult _ and the risk increases accordingly.
A recent international study found that while healthy people with increasing ambient temperature both increased sweating, many diabetics transpiration increased to a point and then stagnated, resulting in alarming increases the body temperature.
Another study, conducted by researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, showed that when the mercury exceeds 27 degrees Celsius progressively increased shipments of diabetic patients in hospitals, hospitalizations, and fatalities _ and culminates when hot.
Altering drugs and consumables
These, however, is not the only consequences of heat, according to Mr. Ioannidis. Another problem is that can affect the anti-diabetic drugs and - most importantly - the supplies used by patients.
"Whoever or injection drug use and although the patients to regulate blood sugar, they must know that losing some of its effectiveness if left in temperatures higher than those indicated on the packaging," says Ioannidis.
"Particularly vulnerable are insulin, which even in pharmacies or stores are kept in special refrigerators. That is why it is very important to be transported and stored in cool places and generally maintained exactly as stated on the packaging.
These supplies are also vulnerable. Glucose test strips, for example affected so much heat that it can lead to false measurement results, while similar problems may exist with the counters and other consumables.
Risk of hypoglycemia
Problem can also cause changes in levels of physical activity and food intake, which is very common especially during the holidays.
"Changes in routine can affect the body’s needs in medicines, which increases the risk of hypoglycemia," says Mr Ioannides. "This is more likely in patients using drugs such as insulin and sulfonylureas, which is recommended to intensify the measurement of glucose, in order to identify any problems early, and if necessary adjust the dose of their medicines.
The need for adjustment is more likely in young people taking insulin (especially in fast-acting insulins, but also in their basic long-acting insulin) and due to the combination of increased physical activity on vacation (rackets, swimming, etc.) with increased absorption of insulin from the body due to heat.
These patients should be particularly careful when going to swim or go snorkeling. We must never dive alone, and suggests to measure their blood sugar a couple times the last hour before entering the water and see if it drops sharply between the two measurements or low, drink a glass of fresh juice so as not to present hypoglycemia in the water.
Which patients, however, regardless of medication present trembling, intense hunger, or other possible signs of hypoglycemia, you should adjust the dose of medications, after the confirmation by measurement and, if possible, inform the attending doctor. In any case, but should not stop the medication completely.
The legs and gastroenteritis
Other enemies of diabetes is the hot sand, stones and broken glass and other sharp debris often present on beaches. Many diabetics have problems sensation in their feet because they have nerve damage, so I recommend everyone to not ever walk barefoot in the sand (can get burns on the soles or cut and do not understand).
Diabetics should finally have their minds on any gastroenteritis, which is very common in summer and can mostly be diarrhea. The gastroenteritis can be caused by many factors (eg change of drinking water, consumption of poorly preserved foods or fruits and vegetables not washed well, different viruses) and diabetes can cause a dangerous increase in blood sugar.
If a diabetic has gastroenteritis is recommended to measure blood sugar more often to see if it is above 240 mg / dl in at least two measurements should contact their doctor. If there is vomiting, you should consume enough water to avoid dehydration.
What do patients
To spend their holidays well in diabetics, it is advisable to follow certain rules:
* Do you get 1.5 to 2 times more medicines and supplies, from what do you expect you need.
* If you are traveling by plane, keep medicines and supplies to the cabin and not in the bag (both not well maintained at temperatures of storage of aircraft on the other hand if you lose your suitcase will be in trouble).
* Remember that insulin is affected by the heat. The general rule is that it must be transported in cool conditions (up to 24-26 degrees Celsius) and kept the summer at the side of the refrigerator. If you are unsure about the temperature during transport anywhere and stay at the beach, using isotherm bag with ice packs.
* Remember that insulin is absorbed faster than the point at which to inject when we are hot and this can lead to unexpected hypoglycaemia. The same happens when the injection site placed immediately after an activity (eg making the patient an injection in the leg and immediately begins to walk quickly).
* To have your holiday confirmation from the doctor about the disease and the appropriate treatment. If you plan to holiday abroad, get a certificate written in English.
If * you are going in a European Union, take a completed form of medical treatment abroad. This form is the European Health Insurance Card and provides coverage in the 27 member states of the EU and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. We will fill in your insurance carrier (please form E112) and standardized and identical in all European countries and all languages.
* Remember that in some countries there is a different unit of glucose _ measured in mmol / l and not mg / dl as in Greece. One mmol / l equivalent to 18 mg / dl, therefore, to convert mg to mmol divide it by 18.
* If for any reason you need to buy insulin outside town, make sure that this is a density of insulin U100 (this is used in Greece, but in some countries there is a density of insulin U40). Correspondingly, if necessary syringes, make sure they fit with densities insulin U100.
On the beach
Never leave medicines or other supplies in your car (or cab or the trunk), nor on the beach with your clothes, even if they are in the shade.
The general rule is that any temperature above 27 degrees Celsius causes problems as necessary for proper management of diabetes, thus they can have a small refrigerator and the various transport systems such as ice packs or pagokypseles. Otherwise, you should ask if a shop on the beach can store it in a cool place.
For the same reasons, should not expose to heat pump insulin to the _ _ usually young patients with type 1 diabetes who are equipped with it (or to fly in the sand). Village, because a pump like mobile phone, it can steal a deft, thus affecting not only the health but also economic.
For dehydration
* Do not be afraid to turn on the air conditioner (to put it to a temperature of 25-26 degrees), even when you sleep (provided they are not your ’beats’ air).
* Drink plenty of water, even if not thirsty.
* Do not be afraid to release soft lite (aspartame is safe)
* Drink juice, but in moderation. While it is healthy and nutritious, but they contain carbohydrates. So it must be included in the daily caloric intake by individuals with type 2 diabetes often are overweight or obese, and the calculation of fast-acting insulin for people with type 1 diabetes.
Source: Health News Box